Eritrea Online / Dehai Homepage
ERINA Update
(Eritrean News Agency,
Tel: ++291-1-117627, Fax: 127385)
Friday, December 11, 1998
1. The United Nations has accused Ethiopia of "violating the UN
Charter and showing disrespect to the privileges
and immunities to which all UN employees are entitled." Assistant
Secretary General for Legal Affairs Ralph
Zacklin has said Ethiopia's refusal to reverse the expulsion of 38
Eritrean UN staffers "raised the most serious
concerns for the UN system" and added that "Ethiopia can not
take unilateral action without giving the Secretariat
the chance to investigate the allegations."
Ethiopia had claimed that the Eritreans were spies and posed a national
security threat to Ethiopia. That claim was
dismissed by the UN Legal Office which contends that the 38 Eritreans
were expelled "based purely on the grounds
of their Eritrean origin."
2. The Eritrean Ministry of Foreign Affairs has today released a
statement rejecting statements by the Ethiopian
Foreign Minister Seyoum Mesfin on the eve of peace talks in Burkina
Faso next week. Mesfin stated earlier this
week that, failing an outcome at the meeting in Ouagadougou, Eritrea
would be "buried in holes."
The Eritrean statement today described Mesfin's statement as an
"attempt to create obstacles for peace initiatives
through the threat of imminent war." The Eritrean Foreign Ministry
statement said Eritrea was committed to a
peaceful solution and "believes that an immediate cessation of
hostilities is vital for creating a conducive climate for
peace."
Veronica Rentmeesters, Information Officer
Embassy of Eritrea to the US
1708 New Hampshire Ave NW, Washington DC 20009, USA
TEL: 202 319 1991 FAX: 202 319 1304
E-M: veronicX@embassyeritrea.org