Eritrea:
Axworthy’s fantasy and magical thinking
Editorial: EritreaDaily.net 04 Jan 2004 In an AP
report on 04 Jan 2004, of course released from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Former Canadian Foreign Minister
Lloyd Axworthy expressed his “hopes” to “arrive in the Horn of Africa by the
end of the month in a bid to revive the stalled peace process between Ethiopia
and Eritrea”. And that, just a couple of days later after Eritrea
categorically, in no uncertain terms, and officially rejected Axworthy’s
involvement in the peace process if the premise of his mission is any thing
less than enforcing the EEBC ruling as decided and in its entirety, in
accordance with Algiers Peace Agreement, and the most recent and still
standing UN resolution! Fantasy and magical thinking that befalls humans in a state
of denial has never been reported in the pertinent scientific journals or
anywhere else as being contagious. But apparently, Mr. Axworthy seems to have
contracted this psychological disorder for his hopes are based on some
surreal and magical power to go around the reality of the irreversible EEBC’s
border ruling of 13 April 2002 that has already settled and resolved the
border dispute once and for all. Mr. Axworthy’s talks about “reviving the
stalled peace process between Ethiopia and Eritrea” is gutter absurdity
because there is no “stalled peace process between Eritrea and Ethiopia”.
That process started in july of 2000 and ended on April 2002 with a legally
binding and final verdict, which Eritrea accepted in accordance with the
peace agreement, while Ethiopia is defying the verdict blatantly and in utter
contradiction with peace agreement, to say the least. Thus, what is stalled
is the enforcement of the internationally guaranteed verdict. And
recalcitrant Ethiopia is the sole and only culprit for that. Hence, Mr.
Axworthy’s mission, if there ever is one, can only be to break Ethiopia’s
defiance of the rule of law as stipulated by the Peace Agreement to remedy
such instances. By his own admission, “The United Nations has not
officially announced Axworthy's appointment”. There he is not lying because
Anan never mentioned his name let alone his appointment in his most recent
progress report to UNSC on 19 Dec 2003. Furthermore, Axworthy adds `I think
the secretary general wants to have a representative; a perspective in place
and to see what else can be done.'' So, Mr. Axworthy thinks he is the one and
only to fill that position, ‘representative’, and all he is doing is to try
to sell himself into it, otherwise he is and remains whoever he is until and
unless the UN officially announces his employment. Mr. Axworthy, there is one
and only one thing that can be done: Think of a conceivable language which
Ethiopia rulers might comprehend and instill the final and binding nature and
the inevitability of the implementation of the EEBC ruling into their brain
and bring them into compliance with a plain and simple rule of law. Eritrea
is and has always been all about that and is ready and prepared to just do
it. And unless dear Mr. Axworthy wants to convert Eritrea to join Ethiopia in
defying the border ruling, there is nothing else to talk Eritrea about, sir. Axworthy’s Sunday, 4 Jan 2004 pronouncements to AP
included the following as well: “Axworthy said there was no intention to set
up a new mechanism to resolve the dispute.” Well if that were the case, then
he must declare unequivocally that the purpose and intention of the job that
he so badly is striving for has to be to break Ethiopia’s defiance and to
enforce the EEBC ruling in accordance with the peace agreement and in sink
with what the UNSC has been calling for? ``I know the Eritreans have reacted against the idea to
mediate, but this is more to start a kind of a dialogue, to represent the
concerns of the international community and those that the UN expresses,'' he
said. Dear Mr. Axworthy, there is no need for linguistic acrobatic or
semantic twisting here. There is no difference between mediation and dialogue
for the objective and purpose is the same: Resolve a problem? And there is no
problem between Eritrea and Ethiopia that needs resolution. What is there is
Ethiopia’s blatant defiance of every thing that the international community
stands for, which must be broken and for which there is a way that Ethiopia
rulers themselves called for and has been made part of the peace agreement.
And that is and must be the concern of the international community, for
Eritrea has been compliant with anything and every thing the international
community stands for. More of Axworthy’s fantasy was also exposed in the
following exchange with IRIN: “Q: How do you resolve
a situation where Eritrea has said we don’t need dialogue until the border
decision has been implemented? “I guess the key question there is how
do you get to that stage where it can be implemented… it is something that
has to be worked at.” There you have it: Axworthy in fantasyland and magical
thinking. Unless Axworthy wants to discredit the work of the EEBC and its
sole authority to implement the border decision, that stage started already
on 13 April 2002 and as we speak all systems are go but can’t proceed because
of Ethiopia’s blatant defiance of the border decision. And unless he wants to
tamper with demarcation order, there is nothing that has to be worked at but
abiding by the orders of the EEBC and UNSC. “The boundary commission’s decision needs to be
developed” This is an audacious and shameless hint to tamper with the
Boundary Commission’s decision in blatant violation of its sanctity and in
violation of the Algiers agreement. Mr. Axworthy, this is beyond fantasy and
magical thinking, it is criminal because it constitutes an attempt to undue a
peaceful border settlement, which can lead to a fratricidal war. Well, what
do you care? You need the job and you will do whatever it takes to get it,
regardless. What a shame. The highest and most decisive
organ of the international community, the UNSC, solidly supports and stands
by the EEBC and its border ruling that it has unequivocally expressed in
languages understandable to the very layman of any nation in its successive
resolution in this regard. Mr. Axworthy’s mission cannot be different than
that unless the world community reverses itself and denounces the rule of
law? That is fantasy and magical thinking. There is no stalemate or
deadlock Ethiopia’s defiance is the only
talk Mr. Axworthy, that is the only
realistic way to approach the mission you are wishing to accomplish in the
Horn of Africa and not fantasizing about “what else can be done”, for the
recipe has already been provided by the Algiers peace agreement. |