From: Biniam Haile \(SWE\) (eritrea.lave@comhem.se)
Date: Fri Sep 04 2009 - 01:08:13 EDT
Ethiopia: AACC urges gov't to compensate businesses for Eritrean port
losses
Friday 4 September 2009 / by Desalegn Sisay
Addis Ababa Chamber of Commerce (AACC) has demanded that the Ethiopian
government compensate businessmen who lost their properties at Eritrean
ports during the border war between Ethiopia and Eritrea.
The Hague based Eritrea-Ethiopia Claims Commission recently issued a
verdict that saw the two countries being awarded compensations for
damages incurred during the war. Ethiopia obtained US $10.5 million more
than Eritrea.
The recently awarded compensation has led to renewed claims for the loss
of property incurred by Ethiopian merchants. The claims were brought to
the attention of the chamber, which is currently negotiating with the
government to seek due compensation for the businessmen.
According to Eyesuswork Zafu, president of the Addis Ababa Chamber of
Commerce, the government's efforts to retrieve the properties from the
Eritrean government through the required legal channels could not yield
the intended result.
"Ethiopia's negotiations with the Eritrean government is one case;
Ethiopia's obligation, duty and responsibility to compensate its
business people for what they have lost is also another case. I can only
discuss the second aspect" said the president of the chamber.
The government of Ethiopia has a duty to protect the lives and
properties of its citizens wherever it can, he added.
In 2005, the commission, reportedly, rejected Ethiopia's claims about
lost property, thereby refusing compensation. The government of
Ethiopia, however, failed to make the information public.
http://en.afrik.com/article16132.html
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