While Eritrea and Ethiopia remained committed to implementing the peace plan, they should refrain from any unilateral action that could destabilize the situation, the leader of a recent high-level Security Council mission to the two countries said today.

In a briefing to the Council on the delegation's trip last month to Ethiopia and Eritrea, Ambassador Ole Peter Kolby of Norway said the mission's report reflected the 15-member body's united stand in supporting the completion of the Algiers peace process. The mission had also revealed that both parties remained committed to that goal as well and that they underscored their desire to work closely with the Council towards that end.

Meetings with Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and President Isaias Afwerki of Eritrea had highlighted the progress made in the peace process to date and the upcoming final legal settlement of the border issue, Ambassador Kolby said, adding that the mission welcomed statements by both sides that the Boundary Commission's work would be final and binding.

Moreover, Ambassador Kolby said the delegation had urged both sides to comply fully with their obligations to allow the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) to move forward. It had also highlighted the importance of respecting international humanitarian law through the release of prisoners of war and detainees.

Representatives from Ethiopia and Eritrea, as well as 18 other countries, took the floor during the Council's ensuing discussion, which was chaired by Jan Petersen, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Norway.

Eritrea's representative, Tesfa Alem Seyoum, told the Council the Temporary Security Zone (TSZ) could not be established due to Ethiopia's refusal to redeploy its troops. As a result, more than 60,000 Eritrean civilians remained stranded in makeshift camps, unable to return to their homes and villages. Ethiopia had also refused to fulfil the agreement's provision for prompt demining and had failed to provide UNMEE with detailed landmine information.

For his part, Ambassador Fesseha Tessema of Ethiopia said the Council's mission would help to move the peace process forward and contribute to resolving some outstanding issues before the Boundary Commission announced its decision, which ought to be a judicial one, void of any political pressures. As the peace process was in a critical stage, he said he would not want to see any remaining issues jeopardize the implementation of the Algiers Agreement.