UN’s Annan warns about Ethiopia-Eritrea instability
UNITED NATIONS, July 10, 2004 (AP) — Secretary-General Kofi Annan warned that the lingering stalemate between Ethiopia and Eritrea over their disputed border is “a source of instability” in the Horn of Africa.
The northeast African neighbors fought a brutal 2 1/2 year war from 1998-2000, ostensibly over their 1,000 kilometer border that was never formally decided when Eritrea gained independence from Eritrea in a 1993 referendum after a 30-year guerrilla war.
Under a December 2000 agreement that ended the conflict, both sides agreed to the demarcation of the border by a Boundary Commission – part of the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration. But Ethiopia rejected the commission’s ruling, particularly its decision to locate the western town of Badme, which it administers, in Eritrean territory.
Annan’s report to the Security Council, circulated Friday, expressed “deep concern” at Ethiopia’s opposition to the commission’s ruling. It also called Eritrea ‘s public statements criticizing the U.N. peacekeeping mission on the border “unacceptable.”
While Annan noted that both sides are abiding by the ceasefire that ended the war, he said, “a protracted stalemate in the peace process is in itself a source of instability.”
“I am concerned that a relatively minor incident, even one of miscalculation, could degenerate into a very serious situation, which no one would wish for and which would be tragic for all concerned,” he said.
Annan noted the escalating rhetoric on both sides in recent months and reports that the Ethiopian and Eritrean governments “continue to upgrade and strengthen their armed forces.”
He appealed to both parties to continue working with U.N. forces to prevent incidents in the border area,
More than 4,000 U.N. peacekeepers are deployed in the two countries to monitor a 25-kilometer buffer zone along the border. They are expected to leave the region once the border has been physically marked but that process has not been completed.
Because of the stalemate, Annan said, he has launched a review of the U.N. mission’s effectiveness, with a view to streamlining its operation.
He called for “extra flexibility” in both countries to move forward and allow the peace process to succeed.