Eritrea says will not lift ban on UN border mission

April 18, 2006 (ASMARA) — Eritrea said Tuesday it would not lift restrictions imposed last year on United Nations peacekeepers monitoring its tense border with Ethiopia, despite fresh demands from the world body.

Two unidentified UN observers of the UNMEE (UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea) patrol the border .

Last week, the UN security council passed a resolution threatening to downgrade its mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) unless the restrictions were eased.

It said unless resolution 1640 were fully complied with by May 1, it would review UNMEE’s mandate by May 15, with a view to adjustments, “including a transformation into an observer mission”.

In response, Asmara said its position remained unchanged.

Yemane Gebremeskel, director of Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki’s office, said the latest resolution, was based on an unfair premise.

Yemane said “Our position is clear, it has not changed. Resolution 1640 is not balanced and misses the core issue.”

UN security council resolution 1640 was adopted in November, and threatened Eritrea with diplomatic and economic sanctions unless the restrictions imposed on UNMEE were lifted.

It threatened Ethiopia and Eritrea with sanctions if they returned to war over the border, the cause of the 1998-2000 conflict between the Horn of Africa neighbours.

Eritrea banned UNMEE helicopter flights in the country in October and then expelled its North American and European staff from its territory.

It has so far refused to comply with the demands, leaving the mission in limbo.

Eritrea maintains that Ethiopia’s refusal to accept a binding 2002 border demarcation is the root cause of the current tensions.

Asmara has repeatedly hit out at the UN and world powers, particularly the United States, for failing to force Addis Ababa to accept the new border.

It has also accused the security council of focusing on secondary issues, such as its UNMEE restrictions, instead of Ethiopia’s rejection of the demarcation.

Yemane said “This month it has been four years since the boundary commission made its ruling, and for four years Ethiopia has been violating it.

“We can’t go on beating around the bush.”

Ethiopia has accepted the demarcation “in principle” but has demanded revisions to the ruling that awarded the flashpoint border town of Badme to Eritrea.

Last month, the commission responsible for the border delineation met in London with officials from the two sides in a bid to resolve the matter, but the talks failed to break the stalemate.

Another meeting is scheduled in London for April 28.

(ST)