Eritrea Respects UNMEE's Complete Freedom of Movement in the TSZ

On 5 May 2001, the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) issued a statement alleging restriction of its freedom of movement by Eritrea, referring to an "incident" on the road from Mendefera to Tserona.

In view of the seriousness of the report, the Commission did not deem it appropriate to respond at the time without fully ascertaining the facts on the ground.

The verification we have conducted, including discussions with the senior UNMEE liaison officers, establish that no UNMEE vehicle tried to use the said Mendefera to Tserona road on 3 May 2001. Hence, no such incident occurred on that road. Moreover, the said Mendefera to Tserona road is neither the main supply road nor the main access road to the TSZ, as claimed by UNMEE. UNMEE has, in fact, never used the Mendefera to Tserona road to access the TSZ.

The Commission is trying to verify if there were any such incidents anywhere outside the Mendefera to Tserona road, particularly as the Eritrean Defense Forces (EDF) are fully aware that UNMEE is here to help and any problems that may arise are resolved through the normal channels.

There have been several exchanges between UNMEE and the Commission regarding EDF Checkpoints outside the TSZ. Indeed, most (80%) of the protests that UNMEE had made were about checkpoints well outside the TSZ, such as Durco, Tegiren and Kudo Felassi, extending as far as 65 kms from the border. On all these issues, the Commission has maintained that movement outside the TSZ and within restricted military zones require observance of the necessary procedures, such as notification. Otherwise, UNMEE has no restriction on any supply and access routes throughout the country where it has been granted all the necessary bases, camps and facilities.

Although the Commission has not gone beyond diplomatic representation to UNMEE, there have been several incidents where UNMEE units have moved into military zones in parts of the country very distant from the TSZ (Ala, Segeneiti, Abi Adi) without notification and refused to stop at checkpoints. The Commission has treated these as minor incidents. In all these cases, not a single warning shot has been fired.

UNMEE and Eritrea have enjoyed a cordial and cooperative relationship, as Eritrea has allowed UNMEE to have unrestricted movement within the TSZ in accordance with UNMEE's mandate under the Algiers Peace Agreement. Moreover, Eritrea has always responded positively to UNMEE's requests for access routes, both by air and land, to and from the TSZ as required by its mission.

Eritrea is committed to guarantee UNMEE's complete freedom of movement within the TSZ, including access to it through its territory outside the TSZ as UNMEE's mission requires for the fulfillment of its legitimate mandate. Eritrea will continue to facilitate UNMEE's passage to and free movement within the TSZ. Correspondingly, Eritrea expects UNMEE to respect Eritrean authority outside the TSZ and respect Eritrean law and regulations.

9 May 2001

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