Is Ethiopia Interested in Peace?

The government in Addis Ababa is, once again, reading from a new script and putting forth new preconditions with the apparent aim of blocking the implementation of the OAU Framework Agreement. The TPLF regime insists that Eritrea "needs to officially declare that it will withdraw its troops from all Ethiopian land and agree to set a short timeframe ... only when the Eritrean authorities agree to these requirements can a cease-fire take place."

In reality, the contents of the Framework Agreement--the substantive and sequential tenets of which are listed below--do not support Ethiopia's preconditions:
* Formal acceptance of the Framework Agreement by both parties;
* Formal agreement on a total cessation of hostilities which must be enforceable through an appropriate international instrument;
* Redeployment of Eritrean forces from Badme and environs as a matter of good will and reinstatement of Ethiopian administration to the area;
* Demilitarization of the entire border, through the redeployment of the troops of both parties along the entire border, to positions to be determined subsequently, as part of the implementation process of the Framework Agreement;
* Demarcation of the boundary between the two countries.

The TPLF regime further claims that Eritrea "has accepted the cease-fire alone without agreeing to the full package." This is patently false. Eritrea has formally announced its acceptance of and adherence to the Framework Agreement in its entirety on several occasions before and has reiterated its readiness to implement the Framework Agreement in full to the UN Special Envoy Mohamed Sahnoun during his visit to Asmara this week.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Asmara, 28 April 1999