UN scales back Eritrea mission

2006-06-01 13:50

United Nations - The UN Security Council has scaled back the size of its mission monitoring the tense border between Ethiopia and Eritrea as the rival neighbours continue to bicker over the frontier.

In a resolution adopted unanimously late on Wednesday, the council's 15 members extended the mandate of the UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) until September 30 but reduced its numbers by about a third.

The mission will now have 2 300 peacekeeping troops, including 230 military observers, down from 3 373 peacekeepers, according to the new mandate.

The United States and France, in particular, had sought a further reduction in the force, to about half, with those troops removed from UNMEE being sent to other peacekeeping missions, notably in the Ivory Coast, diplomats said.

Stalemate

The decision to reduce the force was a sign of frustration at the ongoing stalemate between Addis Ababa and Asmara over the failure to implement in full a 2000 peace deal that ended their bloody two-year border war.

A binding 2002 border demarcation rejected thus far by Ethiopia remains in limbo and Eritrea has demanded that the international community force the Ethiopian government to accept the ruling.

To vent its anger, Asmara last year imposed a series of restrictions on UNMEE, including a ban on helicopter flights and limits on ground patrols, and expelled its North American and European staff from its soil.

Restrictions

Despite the threat of UN sanctions, the Eritreans have refused to lift the restrictions that have hindered UNMEE's ability to monitor the border area from the Eritrean side.

A US-sponsored bid to end the impasse by reconvening the international boundary commission that came up with the 2002 demarcation has so failed to make any progress on the matter.

At its last meeting in London on May 17 and 18, Ethiopia and Eritrea repeated long-standing positions, with Asmara insisting on the implementation of the new border and Addis Ababa demanding revisions.

The ruling awarded the flashpoint town of Badme to Eritrea but Ethiopia maintains revisions are need to keep families from being split between the two countries.

- AFP