http://www.nytimes.com/1993/05/30/world/monaco-and-eritrea-join-un.html
Monaco and Eritrea Join U.N.
Published: May 30, 1993
Monaco and Eritrea were admitted to the United Nations on Friday, raising
membership to 183. With an area of less than one square mile for 30,000
people, Monaco is the smallest country in the United Nations. Eritrea, with
about 3.5 million people, won independence from Ethiopia after a referendum
on secession last month.
http://www.niticentral.com/2014/05/28/this-day-in-history-may-28-2-227760.html
This day in history: May 28
*1993* - Eritrea and Monaco join the United Nations.
http://www.nytimes.com/1993/05/25/world/eritrea-marks-independence-after-years-under-ethiopia.html
Eritrea Marks Independence After Years Under Ethiopia
Published: May 25, 1993
Eritrea, the northernmost province of Ethiopia that won a 30-year war for
independence, formally declared itself a nation today.
The country's new red, blue and green flag, marked with a yellow olive
branch, was raised during a midnight ceremony in the capital, Asmara.
President Isaias Afewerki, a leader in the fight for independence, called
the flag-raising a "moment of joy and resurrection for Eritrea."
He appealed to the world for help in rebuilding Eritrea, a country the size
of Britain that lies on the coast of the Red Sea.
The ceremony came two years to the day when rebels led by Mr. Isaias
captured Asmara, on May 24, 1991. Two days later, the army of the Ethiopian
People's Revolutionary Democratic Front, led by the rebel leader Meles
Zenawi, marched into the capital of Addis Ababa as the rule of Mengistu
Haile Mariam collapsed. The two rebel movements had collaborated in the
struggle against the Ethiopean Government. An estimated 160,000 fighters
and 40,000 civilians died in the war. Ethiopean Leader Attends.
Last month, Eritreans at home and abroad voted overwhelmingly for
independence.
Mr. Meles, now President of Ethiopia, was among foreign dignitaries at the
independence ceremony Sunday, which capped a day of parades, street dances
and fireworks. Other guests included President Hassan Gouled Aptidon of
Djibouti, Eritrea's southern neighbor, and President Omar Hassan al-Bashir
of Sudan, Eritrea's western neighbor, which gave the rebels safe passage
during the war against Ethiopia.
Several nations, including the United States, Italy, Sudan and Ethiopia,
have recognized Eritrea. The new nation requested full membership in the
United Nations last Friday.
Mr. Isaias, Secretary General of the Eritrean Peoples' Liberation Front,
was elected President on Friday by the nation's new National Assembly. The
Assembly is charged with drafting a constitution, to be followed by
multiparty elections.
The new republic faces the task of demobilizing 70,000 soldiers,
repatriating 750,000 refugees, and caring for the 75 percent of its 2.7
million people who rely on foreign food aid.
Last week, several military units paralyzed Asmara after seizing the
airport, banks and other vital installations to protest the Government's
decision to continue paying them with rations instead of cash.
Some Ethiopians oppose Eritrea's independence, which leaves their nation
landlocked. However, Eritrea has promised Ethiopia access to its two ports
on the Red Sea.
A former Italian colony, Eritrea was placed in a federation with Ethiopia
by the United Nations in 1952 and annexed by the late Emperor Haile
Selassie 10 years later.
Map of Eritrea showing location of Asmara.
Received on Thu May 29 2014 - 08:49:55 EDT