Eritrea/Ethiopia: Mr. Axworthy, any effort to uphold Algiers pact?

Commentary

By EritreaDaily

21 Jan 2005

While very impressive, Mr. L. Axworhty�s professional repertoire and litany of academic honors can neither substitute the rule of law nor can be an excuse to lay off/not uphold the rule of law or whitewash his failure to ensure strict adherence to the peace agreement that Eritrea and Ethiopia signed and agreed to only abide by (Algiers peace pact).

After resolutely rejecting Ethiopia�s attempts to renege on the Algiers peace pact and defy the decision of the Boundary Commission established therewith, the UN Security council reminded both parties of their commitment to the peace agreement they signed in Algiers and reiterated its call to abide by it. To follow that up, the UN then engaged Mr. Axworthy upon the recommendation of Ethiopia but against Eritrea�s well founded reluctance as an additional thrust with the expressed assignment to move the peace process forward by ensuring strict adherence to the Algiers peace pact.

Here, UN�s reference to both parties is a mere matter of pro forma because it is on public records and well documented that Eritrea has always been in full compliance with Algiers while Ethiopia is the defiantly non-compliant party that has unilaterally brought the peace process to a standstill only because it didn�t work its way.

Although Mr. Axworthy understood and accepted his assignment, it was and is not what he had in mind as evidenced by his activities so far. Thus far, Mr. Axworthy has targeted the compliant party (Eritrea) for reasons that escape the sane mind and is devoid of any and every rational known to mankind because if Mr. Axworthy were out to ensure strict compliance with Algiers why would he seek the compliant party if it were not aimed at getting it out of compliance or even to pressure it not to insist on compliance, which he then would misconstrue to mean intransigence and unhelpfulness, which he did and continues to do? To that effect, Mr. Axworthy tried to lure the compliant party into his trap by making attractive offers such as dialogue, direct talks with president, and even �new peace initiative� that no one would reject but are unfortunately inapplicable here because by treaty they are inadmissible and detrimental to the peace process one way or the other. But, Mr. Axworthy was not deterred by the limitations of the Algiers agreement. In a futile attempt to further aggravate, pressure and get the compliant party out of compliance, Mr. Axworthy had even the gut and audacity to approach major powers and even the chairman of the Boundary Commission in a shameless try to sway them from their firm commitment to the Algiers agreement. All of Mr. Axworthy�s hitherto activities have failed, the peace process remains stalled and precarious more than ever before.

Be it as it may and for a change, today we decided to ponder and ask Mr. Axworthy if he�d ever made any effort at all to ensure the upholding of the Algiers peace pact, in an attempt to bring it to the attention of the UN Security council and the public at large for that was the intent and declared purpose of his engagement?

Since Ethiopia is and remains the defiantly non-compliant party, we refined our question and now ask Mr. Axworthy if he�d taken any steps, measures, or actions at all to get Ethiopia to even contemplate complying with UN calls for unequivocal acceptance of the border decision and with it unconditional adherence to the Algiers Peace Pact? We researched the answers to our own questions and public records clearly speak against that, making the unequivocal answer to both questions a flat NO.

That indicates Mr. Axworthy�s failure to do what he was hired and entrusted to do, which is equivalent to dereliction of duty that mandates a call to task before the UN Security Council for accountability and necessary punitive/disciplinary measures up to and including termination of his mission.

If one were to measure Mr. Axworthy�s activities in terms of time and impact on the peace process, then Mr. Axworthy has thrown the peace process 4 years back and has brought the two countries to the brink of another war.