Eritrea's decision dismays Annan

2006-09-07 13:53

New York - United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan is dismayed by Eritrea's decision to expel five UN staffers, including four peacekeepers monitoring its tense border with Ethiopia, for "unsubstantiated allegations" of spying, said his spokesperson on Wednesday.

The Eritrean information ministry said on Tuesday that four were personnel from the UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) and the fifth was a security coordinator for UN agencies in the embattled Horn of Africa nation.

Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said: "The secretary-general is dismayed by the Eritrean government's decision to expel from Eritrea five UN security personnel."

The statement added that the five were nationals from Britain, New Zealand, South Africa, Liberia and Trinidad and Tobago.

UN probes 'unsubstantiated allegations'

The UN spokesperson said Annan, who was currently in Turkey, was also concerned about the recent arrest of an UNMEE staffer by the Eritrean authorities and their refusal to provide access to and explain the reasons for the arrest.

The statement added: "The secretary-general urges the Eritrean authorities to rescind their decision on the UN personnel, release the detained UNMEE staff member, and provide urgent clarification on their actions, while the UN investigates the unsubstantiated allegations."

Asmara gave few details of the espionage claims, but added in the same statement that security forces had last week apprehended members of the UN peacekeeping mission in Eritrea who tried to "smuggle persons and property illegally" from the country.

Dujarric's statement said: "These actions contravene Eritrea's obligations under the UN Charter, the Convention on Privileges and Immunities of the UN, and the model status-of-forces agreement, which applies to UNMEE's operations in the country."

UNMEE and Eritrea had long had strained relations, particularly during the past year, after tensions rose between Asmara and Addis Ababa over the failure to fully implement a 2000 peace deal that ended their bloody two-year border war.

Aside from that issue, Eritrea had frequently clashed with the mission and arrested more than a dozen of its local employees, accusing them of trying to avoid compulsory national service.

- AFP