Date: Mon, 1 Dec 2014 06:38:26 -0700
http://hornofafrica.de/u-s-congressman-slams-washingtons-role-in-eritrea-ethiopia-border-dispute/
December 1, 2014
*U.S**. Congressman Slams Washington’s Role in **Eritrea-Ethiopia** Border
Dispute*
California Congressman Dana Rohrabacher, chairman of the House subcommittee
on Europe, Eurasia, and Emerging Threats, last week strongly criticized the
U.S. government for its role in the border conflict between Ethiopia and
Eritrea that claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people on both sides
of the border.
Congressman Rohrabacher made these remarks at a hearing on the growing
tensions between Ethiopia and Egypt on water sharing, and particularly in a
response to suggestion that Washington could arbiter the dispute between
the two African nations. Challenging a witness who had suggested U.S.
arbitration in the emerging water-sharing conflict between the two U.S.
allies, the Republican congressman, who was chairing the subcommittee
hearing, said, “I thought the behavior of our government in that whole
episode [the Eritrea-Ethiopia border dispute] was disgraceful, and has
undermined our ability to arbitrate other disputes.”
“Let’s just note that, we did convince the Ethiopians at one point to agree
to arbitration of a major dispute that they were in with Eritrea,” the
congressman said. Then when “the decision of the arbiters went against
Ethiopia in their border dispute with Eritrea…and we extracted some kind of
other deal with them to help us with some sort of defense related deal…and
let them off the hook, basically said they didn’t have to follow their
arbitration.” He described Washington’s behavior as “disgraceful.”
In his assessment of the damage to U.S. credibility as a result of such
action flouting international law, he stated, this “meant the message to
all of Africa was you don’t…you better skip out the arbitration because
that just doesn’t work, even the Americans are going to discard it, what
the result is. That was very sad.” Ethiopia and Eritrea signed the Algiers
Peace Agreement on their disputed borders in December 2000 allowing the
Hague-based independent Eritrea- Ethiopia Boundary Commission to render a
“final and binding” decision. The AU, EU, UN and USA witnessed this
historic agreement as ‘Guarantors of the Peace Agreement.” And in April 13,
2002, the EEBC reached a verdict that was hailed by the U.N. and AU and EU.
Eritrea accepted the decision. While Ethiopia, which initially appeared to
accept it and in fact boasted of its favorable outcome, reneged on
delimitation implementation.
However, the Unites States, as a key guarantor of the agreement, has yet to
condemn, compel or sanction Ethiopia for failing to abide by the verdict
and by international rule of law. In fact, at different stages since the
2002 ruling, Washington actively worked to openly sabotage efforts by the
Boundary Commission to implement the decision. For example, former George
W. Bush administration official John Bolton publicly accused that former
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer tried
to prevent the demarcation of the border according to the final and binding
2002 Eritrea Ethiopia Boundary Commission decision. In February 2006, he
said, Frazer told him to “reopen” the 2002 decision “which she had
concluded was wrong, and award a major piece of disputed territory to
Ethiopia.”
OEA in a letter to Congressman Rohrabacher has called for a thorough
investigation of this entire episode to make an assessment of any damage to
our nation’s credibility abroad—and at home—and hold individual policy
makers accountable for this policy failure in order to avoid similar
ill-advised actions in the future.
*Organization of **Eritrean** Americans (**OEA**)*
Ibrahim I. Suliman
(image/gif attachment: rohrabacher.gif)