Warning of regional effect, Annan urges extension of UN mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea

Expressing deep concern about the “untenable” stalemate in the peace process between Ethiopia and Eritrea, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today called on the Security Council to extend the mandate of the UN monitoring mission between the two sides for six months, warning of the potential for disaster if the situation is not resolved.

Mr. Annan made his remarks in his latest situation report covering the activities of the UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) since March and ahead of its current end of mandate on 30 September, while he also drew attention to instability across the whole of the Horn of Africa region.

“Four years after the 2002 decision of the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission, I remain deeply concerned about the stalemate in the Ethiopia-Eritrea peace process. This is an untenable situation, which, if allowed to fester, could lead intentionally or unintentionally to events with disastrous consequences for the two countries and the whole region.”

“The situation in the Horn of Africa remains politically tense and fragile. The continuing conflict in Somalia and the unresolved crisis affecting Darfur contribute to the instability affecting the region. Having the foregoing facts in mind, I recommend to the Security Council that it extend the mandate of UNMEE for six months, until 31 March 2007.”

Mr. Annan also said the various arrests, detentions and expulsions of UNMEE international and locally recruited staff in recent months was “particularly troubling” and he repeated calls for all restrictions on the Mission to be lifted and those staff detained to be released without delay.

He reiterated concerns that Ethiopia has not accepted the decisions of the Boundary Commission and also Eritrea’s refusal to continue to cooperate with the body, adding that the military situation in the Temporary Security Zone and the adjacent areas between the two sides remained tense, despite it being “generally stable” over the past six months.

In an annex to the report, the Secretary-General presented an update on the proceedings of the Boundary Commission, which reopened its office in Addis Ababa in August while it still seeks Eritrea’s permission to reopen its Asmara field office.

UNMEE monitors the ceasefire along the disputed border over which the two countries fought a war from 1998 to 2000, but its work has been hampered by both sides, in particular by Ethiopia’s refusal to accept the border set the Boundary Commission and restrictions imposed by Eritrea.