Ethiopia, Eritrea told: Cool it

2004-12-16 23:27

Addis Ababa - The United Nations urged Ethiopia and Eritrea on Thursday to ease tensions and curb their tough talk over the simmering and unresolved border dispute that triggered a 2½-year war, six years ago.

The Horn of Africa nations must realise "they are condemned by history to live together continuously as neighbours", and must seek a peaceful solution to the conflict, said Legwaila Joseph Legwaila, head of the United Nations mission in both countries.

"I have personally pleaded with the two sides to lower the temperature to make sure we concentrate on the search for a peaceful end to this conflict," he said.

Eritrea said on Tuesday that Ethiopia must withdraw its troops from a border town awarded to Eritrea by an international boundary commission to restore peace between the two countries.

Ethiopia must also let the commission demarcate the border between the nations as provided under the terms of a four-year-old peace deal, said Eritrea.

Won't cede any territory

The two nations are deadlocked on the decision of the boundary commission to award the town of Badme to Eritrea - the source of their 1998-2000 border war, which cost each country an estimated US$1m (about R5.7m) a day and left about 70 000 people dead.

The commission is part of the Permanent Court of Arbitration based in The Hague, Netherlands.

Ethiopia has said it accepts "in principle" the commission's ruling, but insists it will not cede any territory.

"Whether they like it or not, they are not going to reshuffle themselves to where geography has condemned them to be," said Legwaila.

"I keep hoping these two countries will come to the realisation that the only best way to secure peace for them is to go through with what they started."

- AP