UN refutes recent claims of Eritrea-Ethiopia border clashes
ADDIS ABABA, Dec. 30 (Xinhuanet) -- The United Nations
Mission in Eritrea and Ethiopia (UNMEE) on Thursday said it did not find or
observe new clashes between Eritrean and Ethiopian troops along the border.
The UNMEE made the remarks in a telephone interview with
Xinhua following some reports stating that over the weekend, Eritrean troops
killed and wounded several Ethiopian inhabitants of Hadish Adi near Badme area
along the border.
However, the UNMEE said that the mission did not get any
reliable facts on the reported issue.
"The two countries should seek peaceful means to end
their differences on any issue that they may have," said the UNMEE.
The UNMEE indicated that troop movements at the front
line of the two countries have been observed during the last few days.
However, the UNMEE said "it is difficult to say that
they are going for war. Sometimes, the two countries move their troops for
their own purposes."
Eritrea has recently urged Ethiopia to pull out its
troops from all areas in accordance with the ruling by the Eritro-Ethio
Boundary Commission made on April 13, 2003 in the Hague.
But Ethiopia still demands Eritrea to sit for dialogue
over the implementation of the boundary decision, which awarded Ethiopian
claimed territory Badme to Eritrea.
A five-point peace initiative and a normalization program
proposed by Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi three weeks ago as a gesture
of reconciliation has been repeatedly rejected by Eritrea, which also refused
any dialogue with Ethiopia, saying "no talk before physical border
demarcation."
International efforts are underway to bring peaceful
solution to the Eritro-Ethiopia border issue. Enditem