Eritrea-Ethiopia crisis
2005-11-23 10:33
United Nations - The United Nations Security Council was set to vote on a new draft resolution dangling possible economic sanctions against Eritrea and Ethiopia if either resorts to force to settle their bitter border dispute, diplomats said.
UN diplomats said the new Greek-drafted text was expected to be put to a vote as early as Wednesday.
The draft, a copy of which was obtained by AFP, says the council "expresses its determination to consider further appropriate measures, including under Article 41 of the Charter of the United Nations, if one or both of the parties fail to comply with" a list of demands.
Article 41 of the UN charter provides for economic or diplomatic sanctions.
Increased movement on border
The sanctions would be considered if Eritrea fails to heed a demand that it "reverse, without further delay or preconditions, its decision to ban (UN) helicopter flights, as well as additional restrictions imposed on the operations" of UN peacekeepers on the Eritrea-Ethiopia border.
The draft threatens sanctions if both parties do not "show maximum restraint and refrain from any threat or use of force against each other."
It demands that both parties return to the 16 December 2004 levels of deployment and to complete the redeployment within 30 days "to prevent aggravation of the situation."
The draft asserts "that Ethiopia accept fully and without further delay the final and binding decision of the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission and take immediately concrete steps to enable, without preconditions, the Commission to demarcate the border completely and promptly."
The council said it would "monitor closely the actions of both parties in relation to the demarcation of the border."
The UN peacekeeping mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) last week reported increasing movement of troops along both sides of the Eritrean-Ethiopian border where it said the situation "remains tense and potentially volatile."
UNMEE has said its border surveillance ability has been cut by more than 60% since early October when Asmara banned its helicopter flights and limited ground patrols on its territory.
Eritrea took those measures while issuing sabre-rattling rhetoric over Ethiopia's refusal to accept a legally-binding border demarcation emanating from a 2000 peace deal that ended a bloody two-year war.
US ambassador to the UN John Bolton told reporters here Tuesday that "the real issue for Ethiopia is to resolve the border dispute."
"They agreed five years ago to a mechanism to resolve the problem. The boundary commission made its decision three years ago and that decision is not yet implemented," Bolton said.
"The Security Council has to make sure that when it gets involved in an issue like this, that it can carry it through to a successful conclusion," he added.