Wednesday, May 09, 2007
"If the organisation (UN) is intending to initiate another round of shuttle diplomacy, and seeking mechanisms to replace the rule of law ... it would be advisable to save exhaustion," said a statement in the state-run Eritrea Profile newspaper.
Eritrea gained independence from Ethiopia in 1993 after a 30-year war, but their joint border remains under dispute.
The UN Security Council on Tuesday joined UN chief Ban Ki-moon in voicing concern over growing tension between the neighbours and welcomed Ethiopia’s apparent acceptance in March to comply with a
2002 ruling on their border dispute.
Asmara, which blames the United States and the UN for failing to implement the five-year-old border ruling, rejected Tuesday’s non-binding UN statement.
"The US administration (has) manipulated the paralysis in the United Nations, violated international law and principles and kept the process hostage to this day," said the statement.
The flashpoint town of Badme, which belongs to Eritrea according to the April 2002 ruling, still remains under Ethiopian control.
Ethiopia has always insisted the ruling be altered since it will split families and villages between the two countries.
The UN on Tuesday repeated calls for Eritrea to withdraw its troops from a 1,000-km buffer zone and to lift restrictions it has imposed on operations of UNMEE, the 1,700-strong UN force monitoring the border dispute.
Relations between Washington and Asmara have been strained in recent months, but they deteriorated further after Ethiopia, backed by the United States, drove out a powerful Islamist movement from central and southern Somalia late last year.
US officials, along with United Nations weapons experts, have accused Eritrea of supporting Somalia’s Islamists.
Source: AFP, May 09, 2007