ERINA Update

(Eritrean News Agency,
Tel: ++291-1-117627, Fax: 127385)
Thursday, September 10, 1998

1. The Ethiopian government is calling upon the international community "not to rely on information coming from Eritrea--whether from the UN staff or from diplomats stationed there--for the simple reason that no one stationed in Eritrea who reports objectively would be tolerated by the Eritrean authorities." The letter to UN Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs, Sergio Vieira de Mello from Ethiopian Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, Tekeda Alemu, follows a recent trip by UN needs assessment teams to Assab as well as the war fronts at Badme and Zalambessa. A subsequent report put forward by a UN representative refuted claims made by the Ethiopian government that Ethiopians in Assab were subject to maltreatment. The Ethiopian response has been to call into question the reliability of high level UN personnel involved in the Assab report stating, "The fact that the UN representative in Asmara has, for all intents and purposes become an Eritrean official cannot be doubted for a moment."

The Ethiopian government, which has appealed for international assistance towards the resettlement of some 240,000 Ethiopians it claims have been displaced along the conflict areas, has denounced UN confirmation of over 100,000 Eritreans similarly affected by the border conflict. The letter from Ethiopia's Foreign Ministry denounced a UN appeal for assistance to Eritreans displaced and affected by the conflict. The Ethiopian government stated that the UN, in appealing for this assistance, "is being used to finance a war of aggression against Ethiopia."

2. Ethiopia continues to beat the war drum despite attempts by Eritrea and a host of nations and concerned groups to see a peaceful resolution to the on-going border conflict. A senior Politburo member of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), Mr. Abey Tsehiay, has gone on Tigray Radio yesterday saying that "Ethiopia has completed her preparations and is ready to initiate war." The TPLF official said that, although Ethiopia needed some months to have its logistics and arms in place, they were now fully prepared and would be ready to go to battle at any time. Similar statements have come from the former Ethiopian Minister of Transportation and Ethiopian Brigadier General Samora in the past few weeks.

Veronica Rentmeesters, Information Officer

Embassy of Eritrea to the US
1708 New Hampshire Ave NW, Washington DC 20009, USA TEL: 202 588 7587 FAX: 202 319 1304
E-M: veronicX@embassyeritrea.org

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