From: Berhane Habtemariam (Berhane.Habtemariam@gmx.de)
Date: Tue Jul 20 2010 - 14:03:07 EDT
UN welcomes steps by Eritrea and Djibouti to end border dispute
20 July 2010 - The United Nations today welcomed steps by Eritrea and
Djibouti to resolve their border dispute through mediation by Qatar, saying
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was ready to provide technical support if
needed to facilitate a settlement.
Under Secretary-General for Political Affairs B. Lynn Pascoe told the
Security Council that the Qatari Prime Minister, Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin
Jabr Al-Thani, had written to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon informing him
that Eritrean troops had withdrawn from the disputed areas of Ras Doumiera
and Doumiera Island and that Qatari military observers had been deployed to
those localities pending a final settlement.
This follows the signing of an agreement by Eritrea and Djibouti on 6 June,
under the auspices of Qatar, in which the neighbouring countries decided to
resolve their border conflict through a negotiated settlement.
In March 2008, Eritrea had deployed troops and military equipment to the two
areas adjoining its de facto border with Djibouti.
"The Government of Qatar has confirmed to us that cooperation between both
countries and the Qatari forces is good and that the Qatari forces will
remain deployed in both countries until the dispute between them has been
settled," Mr. Pascoe said.
He said that the UN believed that States in the Horn of Africa, the regional
Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the African Union and the
UN should work together to effectively address inter-linked conflicts in the
region, including Somalia and the long-standing border dispute between
Eritrea and Ethiopia.
In his latest report on compliance with a Security Council resolution that
imposed sanctions on Eritrea for its activities in Djibouti and Somalia, the
Secretary-General says that Eritrea deserves credit for its recent
constructive engagement with its neighbours and the international community
and urges the country to provide evidence that it is complying with the
resolution.
"Despite the Government of Eritrea's long-standing positions on Somalia and
Djibouti, it has recently taken a number of steps towards constructive
engagement with its neighbours and the wider international community," Mr.
Ban says in the report.
Mr. Pascoe said aspects of the resolution relating to Somalia will be
addressed by the Monitoring Group on Somalia and Eritrea, whose members were
appointed on 1 July. "We look forward to the Monitoring Group's independent
reporting on Eritrea compliance with the provisions of the relevant
resolutions," he said.
http://www.un.org/News/dh/photos/2008/186292-pascoe.jpg
Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs B. Lynn Pascoe
----[This List to be used for Eritrea Related News Only]----
