EthiopiaUs statement of "Eritrea: Perpetrates War, Impedes Peace", which was Issued today by the Office of Government Spokesperson, does not make sense on a number of counts.

• Firstly, it says, "For the past eighteen months, Eritrea has either been actively pursuing war or intentionally impeding peace".

  This statement is absolutely pathetic. A brief reading of the reported development of the conflict can shade light on who has been actively pursuing war.

  • On May 13 1998, Ethiopia declared war on Eritrea.

  • On Thursday, May 14, 1998 the BBC reported that, " Eritrea calls for mediation of border dispute. The government of Eritrea says it is greatly saddened by allegations by neighbouring Ethiopia that its troops have occupied a border area in the north of the country".

  • On the contrary, the Ethiopian foreign minister, Seyoum Mesfin -- in an appeal to foreign governments -- said his country's patience had been stretched to the limit. According to the report by the BBC on Tuesday, May 19, 1998 "Ethiopia warned Eritrea of a possible war".

  • On Tuesday, May 26, 1998 the BBC reported that "The Eritrean government has repeatedly said it seeks a peaceful solution through mediation to the territorial dispute which broke out earlier this month".

  • On May 28, 1998 Ethiopian president warns citizens to prepare for war "to defend sovereignty".

  • Monday, June 1, 1998 Cathy Jenkins of the BBC reported, the Eritrean President insisted that "Eritrea wanted a negotiated settlement with Ethiopia because he said everyone would lose out if it came to war. He said that Eritrea had proposed that the affected areas be demilitarised and that international observers be deployed until a final settlement is found. Furthermore she said, the Eritrean leadership seems to have put its faith in international mediation, but Ethiopia is refusing to hold negotiations.

  • On June 3, 1998 Ethiopia escalated the border conflict by attacking Eritrean position on the Zalambessa, Badme and Burie fronts.

    "I am not declaring war in Eritrea" said the Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi the day before Ethiopian planes bombed the Eritrean capital, Asmara.

  • On OCT 6 1999 (ZENIT) after receiving "comforting" news from East Africa, John Paul II called for the "overcoming of difficulties and lack of trust" that continue to place obstacles in the way of peace between Eritrea and Ethiopia. John Paul II referred to the "multiple and laudable efforts of the international community, and especially the Organisation of African States, for a negotiated solution to the conflict that confronts Eritrea and Ethiopia, which is beginning to show signs of consensus."

    The Holy FatherUs optimism for peace was not met according by Ethiopia. It can be suggested with high confidence that, it is EthiopiaUs proclamation of having no Trust on anything peaceful, including the Technical Arrangements, which is impeding peace. Eritrea has accepted all OUA peace documents, whereas Ethiopia has not!

• Secondly, it says, "In sharp contrast to Ethiopia's persistent pursuit of a peaceful resolution of the conflict, Eritrea was unwilling to even pay lip service to peace until its humiliating military defeat at Badme in late February 1999".

  From the above brief evidences, it has been demonstrated that, the statement "In sharp contrast to Ethiopia's persistent pursuit of a peaceful resolution of the conflict, Eritrea was unwilling to even pay lip service to peace" is simply a wishful thinking, designed to deceive oneself. As to the statement of "Eritrea was unwilling to even pay lip service to peace until its humiliating military defeat at Badme in late February 1999", is noting but another sloganism which does not answer the issue. It is a typical EthiopiaUs defeatist syndrome which gets comfort out of "the hu ha" of the old days. At this point in time, the question is not who first accepted the Framework agreements and who does not, the issue is EthiopiaUs rejection of peace by inserting all sorts of pre-conditions on the Technical Arrangements.

• Thirdly, it says, "After claiming to accept the OAU Framework Agreement, however, the Eritrean government was just as unwilling to withdraw from all the territory it had invaded and occupied".

  It is true that the Eritrean government has accepted not only the OAU Framework Agreement, but also the Modalities of Implementation and the Technical Arrangements. All the documents provide the sequence of peaceful resolution to the conflict as 1. Cease-fire, 2. Redeployment, 3. Demilitarisation and then 4. Demarcation. 1. 2. 3. 4. It is Ethiopia who is objecting to Cease-fire and Redeployment, not Eritrea. Recently, at the UN General Assembly, the Ethiopian Foreign Minister, Mr Seyoum Mesfin, has unleashed his anger over the UN Security Council and others who for called for an immediate Cease-fire. It is also worth noting that, there is no such thing as "invaded and occupied territory", but "disputed lands" which Ethiopia claims over the sovereign territories of Eritrea.

• Fourthly, the statement of "Eritrea launched repeated attacks on Ethiopia despite its acceptance of the Technical Arrangements" is another pretext, Ethiopia is accumulating, in order to launch another war - as the rainy seasons are already over. Previous ploys such as "Eritrea first bombed Mekele", the ploy of Eritrea bombed a phantom place in Adigrat and other have time and again proven to be fictitious and outright lie.

• Finally, its says, "Ethiopia, in search of a peaceful resolution of the conflict, continues to dialogue with the OAU and other international mediators in hopes that loopholes in the Technical Arrangements can be removed so as to ensure a full return to the status quo ante and eliminate inconsistencies between the Technical Arrangements and the Framework Agreement".

  In reading this final statement, one could not help but feel saddened, about the insult of the Ethiopian regime, to the intelligence of the people of Ethiopia, Eritrea and the international community at large. All of the above statements were a prelude to the final statement, which amounts to total rejection of peace and in contempt to the international law and norms. Ethiopia is not searching for peace but any pretext to start war. When the OAU presented the Technical Arrangements elaborated on the basis of the letter and spirit of the principles contained in the OAU Framework Agreement and the Modalities, Ethiopia says "the Technical Arrangements are inconsistent with the Framework Agreement". But the international community thinks differently to Ethiopia. The OAU peace package has been greeted by the international community as the "guarantee to the peaceful and legal resolution of the Ethio-Eritrea conflict".

  The statement issued today by Ethiopia, can only be considered as EthiopiaUs desperate attempt to prepare the ground for war. It is up to the international community to compel Ethiopia not to play childish game, but sign to and implement the OAU peace package.

Let there be peace in our region

God Bless