Eritrea rejects UN calls for border peace

May 9, 2007 (ASMARA) — Eritrea on Wednesday dismissed UN calls to resolve its border deadlock with arch-foe Ethiopia, and once again blamed the world body and the United States for the stalemate.

Ethiopia, meanwhile, blamed Eritrea, and asked the UN to punish its neighbour.

“If the organization (UN) is intending to initiate another round of shuttle diplomacy, and seeking mechanisms to replace the rule of law … it would be advisable to save exhaustion,” said a statement in the state-run Eritrea Profile newspaper.

The UN Security Council on Tuesday joined UN chief Ban Ki-moon in voicing concern over growing tension between the neighbours and welcomed Ethiopia’s apparent acceptance in March to comply with a 2002 ruling on their border dispute.

Asmara, which blames the United States and the UN for failing to implement the five-year-old border ruling, rejected Tuesday’s non-binding UN statement.

“The US administration (has) manipulated the paralysis in the United Nations, violated international law and principles and kept the process hostage to this day,” the statement said.

Eritrea gained independence from Ethiopia in 1993 after a 30-year war, but their joint border remains under dispute.

Ethiopia, meanwhile, accused Asmara of disregarding calls for talks on the 2002 ruling and called on the UN to take measures against its neighbour.

“We have accepted the decision of the border commission. What we have asked is negotiation for the implementation, but Asmara refuses to negotiate,” said Berekat Simon, the spokesman for Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.

Eritrea has repeatedly rejected calls for renegotiation of the border ruling that awarded it the small border town of Badme, which remains under Ethiopian control.

But Ethiopia insists the ruling should be altered since it will split families and villages between the two countries.

The UN on Tuesday repeated calls for Eritrea to withdraw its troops from a 620-mile (1,000-kilometre) buffer zone and to lift restrictions it has imposed on operations of UNMEE, the 1,700-strong UN force monitoring the border dispute.

“The Security Council should take punitive measures against Eritrea for violating the … cessation of hostilities agreement,” said Solomon Abebe, Ethiopian foreign ministry spokesman.

Relations between Washington and Asmara have been strained in recent months, but they deteriorated further after Ethiopia, backed by the United States, drove out a powerful Islamist movement from central and southern Somalia late last year.

US officials, along with United Nations weapons experts, have accused Eritrea of supporting Somalia’s Islamists.

(AFP)