Border spat may stop aid
2004-01-22 14:16
Washington - The United States on Wednesday warned Ethiopia and Eritrea that US assistance would be jeopardised should their once-settled border dispute erupt anew into fighting.
The State Department said Washington expected both Addis Ababa and Asmara to fully respect the terms of the 2002 Algiers peace deal that bound each side to accept rulings on the path of the border handed down by a commission.
"The United States is concerned about the possibility of renewed hostilities between Ethiopia and Eritrea, which would have dire consequences for the people of the two countries in relations and programs with the United States," deputy spokesman Adam Ereli said.
"The United States expects each government to uphold its commitment to abide by this agreement," Ereli said, noting that the two sides had both sworn "to accept unequivocally" the commission's decisions "as final and binding."
He did not single out either country for inflaming tensions but the statement was released as international pressure has mounted on Ethiopia to drop its rejection of a ruling from the border commission.
Germany and Britain this week both urged Ethiopia to accept the ruling, the rejection of which has led to the indefinite delay of the border's physical demarcation and to a heightening of tension between Addis Ababa and Asmara.
The two governments are not on speaking terms as Eritrea has rejected dialogue until Ethiopia drops its rejection of the border ruling.
Ereli said the United States believed that direct communication between the two countries is "imperative."
The Algiers agreement was supposed to have ended Ethiopia and Eritrea's 1998 to 2000 border conflict that killed at least 80 000 people.