Relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea unstable but not explosive, UN envoy says

Differences between Eritrea and Ethiopia over their boundary demarcation have created tensions, but there are no indications of a resumption of the devastating two-year war between the two Horn of Africa countries, the head of the United Nations mission (UNMEE) in that area said today.

Legwaila Joseph Legwaila, the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Ethiopia and Eritrea, told the press in New York that while UNMEE has been very successful since September 2000, it "was being stalemated, or spoiled by the failure to demarcate the border, which is the sole responsibility of the Boundary Commission working out of The Hague" in the Netherlands.

Mr. Legwaila recalled that on 13 April 2002 the Boundary Commission appointed by the two sides reached a decision on the boundary, which the parties accepted immediately. Last September, however, Ethiopia “found something wrong with that decision” and informed the UN that it could not cooperate in the demarcation of the border “as is.”

He pointed out that the situation was particularly dangerous given the fact that two countries had fought a terrible war, which took the lives of more than 100,000 people.

"At present, however, there are no indications that there will be a resumption of hostilities," he said, adding that UNMEE is closely watching the situation. "We are monitoring the Temporary Security Zone," he said. "The forces of the two sides remain separated and remain respectful of the Temporary Security Zone, which it is our responsibility to manage."

Nearly 4,200 soldiers of UNMEE were monitoring the Temporary Security Zone, the envoy said.

The international community is trying to break the impasse, meanwhile, and UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan recently appointed former Canadian Foreign Minister Lloyd Axworthy a Special Envoy to deal with the problems related to the border, Mr. Legwaila noted.

Asked why both sides attached so much importance to getting the small town of Badme, the envoy said he had been told that since the war had started there, whoever lost Badme would lose the propaganda war.

"If you lose Badme, then you have been declared the aggressor in the war," he said. "If you win Badme, then you are the aggressed."