Eritrea: UN stance 'pathetic'
2005-09-14 19:08
Asmara - Eritrea on Wednesday denounced as "toothless, meaningless (and) pathetic" the latest UN security council resolution on its festering border tensions with neighbouring Ethiopia.
A director of Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki's office, Yemane Gebremeskel, said: "This resolution is toothless, meaningless, pathetic and extremely disappointing."
He said: "We will continue to appeal to the international community to push for the enforcement of the Algiers agreement."
He was referring to the pact signed by Ethiopia and Eritrea in 2000 to end a bloody two-year border war.
In New York on Tuesday, the security council voted unanimously to extend until March 15 2006, the UN peacekeeping mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) and urged the nations to implement a 2002 boundary ruling emanating from the peace deal.
Violation of UN charter
Yemane said the resolution fell far short of what was needed to press Ethiopia which had thus far rejected the border decision to accept the finding.
He said: "There is a violation by Ethiopia of the UN charter and of the Algiers agreement.
"This is not a border dispute but an occupation of sovereign territory."
Yemane said: "The security council's toothless resolution may have consequences for regional peace and security."
He warned the situation was "not sustainable".
Independent commission
Under the Algiers agreement, both parties promised to respect the "final and binding" border ruling made by an independent commission, but Ethiopia has refused to implement it, calling instead for modifications.
Since the beginning of the year, tensions along the 1 000km border had steadily risen with reports of new troop deployments and security incidents raising fears of renewed conflict.
Eritrea had repeatedly complained the international community, particularly the UN, had not done enough to pressure Ethiopia into accept the border ruling.
The resolution on Tuesday called simply on the two countries to implement the ruling, something Yemane said was unacceptable given Ethiopia's position.
Security council policy
He said: "Had Ethiopia and Eritrea been able to solve this issue bilaterally, we wouldn't have gone to the UN.
"There is a lack of political will from the major powers that shape the security council policy."
The security council resolution also called on Eritrea to lift restrictions, including the payment of tax on imported humanitarian goods, it had recently imposed on relief organisations in the impoverished Horn of Africa nation.
Yemane questioned the appropriateness of the call in a resolution ostensibly dealing with UNMEE operations.
He said: "It is very curious, it has nothing to do with the UN's mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea. It's a domestic issue."
- AFP