From: Biniam Haile \(SWE\) (eritrea.lave@comhem.se)
Date: Tue Sep 29 2009 - 21:35:40 EDT
64th session of the United Nations General Assembly
Statement by His Excellency Mr. Roble Olhaye
Ambassador, Permanent Representative To the United Nations And Head of
Delegation Before The Sixty-Fourth Session of the United Nations General
Assembly
Tuesday 29 September 2009
Video
http://webcast.un.org/ramgen/ondemand/ga/64/2009/ga090929am1.rm?start=01
:25:14
<http://webcast.un.org/ramgen/ondemand/ga/64/2009/ga090929am1.rm?start=0
1:25:14&end=01:40:38> &end=01:40:38
The following are some excerpts from his speech:
"Mr. President,
Members of the General Assembly are aware by now of the tense standoff
that prevails in the northern part of my country, following the
unwarranted and deliberately provocative incursion and occupation by
Eritrean forces of Djiboutian sovereign territory at the beginning of
last year, 2008.
This wholly reckless action by Eritrea instigated a mutual military
buildup, leading to serious clashes between the two forces. In
particular, the clashes of 10-12 June 2008, which resulted in many
deaths, countless wounded, and prisoners taken on both sides, bear a
special note. My country embarked upon a calm and prudent policy that
deliberately allowed sufficient time for possible comprehensive
bilateral contacts at every level in order to resolve this hostility
amicably and peacefully. Our
efforts fell consistently on deaf ears, accompanied by rebuffs, blatant
denials, dismissive and condescending utterances. Regional
organizations, Heads of
State and Government, and the United Nations have all attempted to
initiate dialogue; these efforts have all gone for naught with Eritrea,
which in its usual
brazen manner has gone so far as to deny even the existence of any
tension in the area, despite the clear, far-reaching and unmistakable
conclusions of the UN
fact-finding mission. Indeed, this report represents a damning
indictment of the regime's deceptive and erratic behavior.
The Security Council has consistently condemned Eritrea's forceful
occupation of my country's territory: Ras Doumeira and Doumeira Island;
and in
resolution 1862 of January 14, 2009, demanded, inter alia, that Eritrea
withdraw its forces and all their military hardware to the status quo
ante; acknowledge its
border dispute with Djibouti; engage actively in dialogue to defuse the
tension, as well as in diplomatic efforts leading to a mutually
acceptable settlement; and to
abide by its obligations as a member of the United Nations.
The resolution required Eritrea to comply immediately, and, in any case
no later than five weeks after the resolution's adoption date of January
14, 2009. Eritrea rejected the resolution the next day. There the matter
has essentially remained, in the light of the series of requests made by
the Secretariat for more time in order to pursue
contacts, particularly with the Eritrean authorities. As everyone now
realizes, it has been a futile exercise to be seeking a credible
response from Eritrea -
whose intentions had always been to procrastinate through various guises
while firmly entrenching itself in the occupied territory.
As Djibouti has repeatedly stated, the occupation of Ras Doumeira hill
overlooking the Bab-EI-Mandeb strait and Doumeira Island in the same Red
Sea
area, are situated in one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world.
The militarization of this key strategic maritime route does not augur
well for peace in the region and for international shipping and
investment.
The dispute between Eritrea and Djibouti must not be allowed to fester
any longer. It must be resolved along the lines of resolution 1862
(2009), without further equivocation, confusion and deliberate
procrastination. Inaction sets a dangerous precedent which others will
surely follow in the future - deny and
refuse to cooperate! The Council must not appear to be appeasing Eritrea
indefinitely; this is a dangerous and an unpredictable regime that has
not shown
so far any respect to international norms and behavior. The Council must
act now, using all means at its disposal!"
Full text http://www.un.org/ga/64/generaldebate/pdf/DJ_en.pdf
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