UNSC encouraged by
Eritrea’s firmness on border ruling
21 December 2004, EDNews - In a statement issued by the
current president, Algeria’s ambassador Baali, the UNSC expressed its encouragement
by Eritrea’s continued support of the final and binding decision of the Eritrea
Ethiopia Boundary Commission, and now is looking forward to the beginning of
the border demarcation as decided by the Boundary Commission in accordance with
the Algiers peace agreement. Following is the full report:
UN News - Stressing the importance of demarcating a final acceptable border
between two Horn of Africa countries, the United Nations Security Council today
said it was encouraged by Eritrea's continued acceptance of an independent
Boundary Commission's decision on the frontier as binding and by Ethiopia's
announcement that it has a new peace plan.
"Members of the Security Council are encouraged by this movement
towards a peaceful solution of the border dispute and now look forward to the
beginning of the border demarcation process," the Council President for
December and Ambassador of Algeria, Abdallah Baali, said in a statement to the
news media.
The Council also urged the two countries to normalize relations and "to
refrain from any action in the border area which could be viewed as provocative
or destabilizing."
After a two-year border war, Eritrea and Ethiopia signed the June 2000
Algiers Agreement, a cessation of hostilities pact, and the Council established
the UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) a
month later to verify the ceasefire.
The Security Council stressed UNMEE's important role in supporting the
implementation of the final and binding decision of the Boundary Commission,
established by the Algiers Agreement as the mechanism for a peaceful resolution
of the boundary dispute," Ambassador Baali said.