|
 Network
of Eritreans for Constitutional
Governance
(NECG)
Eritrea,
Ethiopia Boundary Commission Bids Farewell
14
October 2008-- In a final report covering the period 1 January-31
August 2008, the Eritrea Ethiopia Boundary Commission (EEBC) said the
mandate given to it has been fulfilled and that no further activity
on its part is called for except for the return of physical assets to
the United Nations and the preparation of final accounts.
The
Commissioners (from left to right): Sir Arthur Watts, KCMG
QC(R.I.P); Professor W. Michael Reisman; Sir Elihu Lauterpacht,
CBE QC; His Excellency Prince Bola Adesumbo Ajibola; Judge Stephen
M. Schwebel.
Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon has transmitted
to the Security Council the last report issued by the independent
commission on Ethiopia and Eritrea’s common boundary.
In
2002, the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission handed down a final
and binding decision awarding Badme, the town that triggered fierce
fighting between the neighbouring Horn of Africa nations, to Eritrea.
But the two countries have since been at an impasse on that
demarcation.
The
report notes that the body’s mandate has been fulfilled and
that all administrative issues connected to its termination have
wrapped up.
The
Commission has given both sides a deadline of 26 November 2007 in
which to place pillars on the boundary.
In
a letter sent to the two countries in June, it wrote that “as
there has been no communication from the parties, the Commission must
now reach the conclusion that… no further activity on its part
is called for, and that it should therefore take the few final steps
involved in winding up its operations,” including returning
resources to the United Nations.
The
final report said that it received a response from Asmara, but none
from Addis Ababa.
In
July, the Security Council voted unanimously voted to terminate the
UN peacekeeping mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea, known as UNMEE,
after restrictions placed on the peacekeeping operation by the latter
country undermined its ability to carry out its mandate.
As
such, Mr. Ban said in his recent letter to the 15-member body that he
will no longer provide regular reports on the situation between the
two nations. UN NEWS
News
Tracker: past stories on this issue
Security
Council Ends mission monitoring Eritrea-Ethiopia border
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