Security Council calls on Ethiopia, Eritrea to agree on security zone

Security Council members today expressed concern over excessive deployment of Eritrean militia and policemen in the Temporary Security Zone (TSZ) separating Ethiopian and Eritrean forces, as well as the failure of Ethiopia and Eritrea to agree on the precise boundaries of the zone.

In a statement to the press, the President of the Security Council, Ambassador Anwarul K. Chowdhury of Bangladesh, reiterated the Council's call on both parties to establish a direct corridor between Asmara and Addis Ababa. Council members urged the parties, particularly Eritrea, to ensure freedom of movement of the UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE), and urged Eritrea to sign the status-of-forces agreement.

The Council members stressed that both countries should fulfil their financial obligations to the Boundary Commission's work, and encouraged them "to explore and pursue a range of confidence-building measures and to approach the peace process in a constructive manner."

The press statement was released after the Council had met in closed-door consultations to hear a briefing by a senior UN peacekeeping official on Secretary-General Kofi Annan's latest progress report on UNMEE.