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From: Biniam Tekle (biniamt@dehai.org)
Date: Wed Jul 21 2010 - 07:23:14 EDT
http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/africa/east/Eritrea-Calls-for-End-to-UN-Sanctions-98854869.html
Eritrea
Calls for End to UN Sanctions
Larry Freund | United Nations20 July 2010
Eritrea is asking the United Nations Security Council to end its sanctions,
citing a U.N. report indicating some progress in ending Eritrea's dispute
with neighboring Djibouti.
A report from U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon points to steps recently
taken by Eritrea toward constructive engagement with its neighbors and the
wider international community. Specifically, the U.N. report cites an
agreement by Eritrea and Djibouti to resolve their border dispute.
At a meeting of the Security Council to review the report, U.N.
Under-Secretary-General Lynn Pascoe said Eritrea has withdrawn its troops
from disputed territory, and that Qatar, which is serving as a mediator, has
deployed military observers in the area. "We commend the recent concrete
steps taken by Eritrea and Djibouti on the border issue with the active
meditation efforts of the state of Qatar. The secretary-general has
offered the technical support of the United Nations should it be requested,"
he said.
Eritrea's ambassador to the United Nations, Araya Desta, called the
agreement with Djibouti a significant development, but he said the sanctions
imposed on Eritrea by the Security Council last year were unjust.
"Eritrea takes issues of peace and security very seriously, and it shall not
be discouraged or deterred from participating in meaningful and fruitful
discussions that would concretely contribute to sustainable peace in its
region. In light of the steps taken by Eritrea together with Djibouti under
the auspices of the Qatari diplomatic efforts, and Eritrea's firm commitment
towards peace efforts in Somalia, my delegation appeals to the Security
Council to lift the sanctions imposed on Eritrea," he said.
Speaking on behalf of Djibouti, Kadra Ahmed Hassan told the Security Council
that its adoption of sanctions against Eritrea was decisive in establishing
the peace process. "Even if the process is encouraging, the road that awaits
us is a long one, and it requires an undying and a serious commitment on the
part of all of us in the months to come; because the matters to be discussed
are very sensitive ones, and these are the matters of the war prisoners, the
missing persons, as well as the demarcation and delimitation of the border,"
he said.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban, in his report, says recent developments
involving Eritrea are a move in the right direction, but he says Eritrea
must do more to provide evidence of its compliance with the Security
Council's sanctions resolution.
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