Press Release
Eritrea Completes Redeployment to May 6 Positions

President Isaias Afwerki received today H.E. Abdelaziz Bouteflika, President of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria and current Chairman of the OAU, who is visiting Eritrea and Ethiopia to expedite the implementation of the OAU peace process.

President Bouteflika praised Eritrea's acceptance of the OAU Communiqu=E9 issued yesterday and its decision as well as measures already taken to redeploy its forces to positions held prior to 6 May 1998 in accordance with the second requirement of the OAU Communiqu=E9.

With its redeployment from the Zalanbessa area, Eritrea has completed its redeployment to positions held prior to May 6, 1998 in fulfillment of its obligations under the OAU peace plan.

However, President Bouteflika informed President Isaias that the Ethiopian government was asking that Eritrea redeploy from additional places referred to as Bada and Burrie.

President Isaias stressed that "Bada and Burrie are sovereign Eritrean territories that were never under dispute and in which there was no Ethiopian presence prior to May 6 or thereafter, and that Addis Ababa is raising the issue of redeployment of these areas as a pretext to justify its naked invasion of Eritrea and its rejection of the resolutions and appeals of the UN Security Council and the OAU."

President Isaias nonetheless formally informed the OAU Current Chairman that "Eritrea commits itself to re-deploy its troops from Bada and Burrie in order to deny Ethiopia any pretext." Eritrea's redeployment from these areas is being done "on the basis of the OAU Framework Agreement and the Modalities of Implementation, which state that re-deployment does not pre-judge the status of the territories concerned, which will be determined at the end of the delimitation and demarcation period, and if need be, arbitration."

Ethiopia had refused last year to provide the OAU with the list of places it claims title to. Ethiopia had further refused in October last year to cooperate with an OAU verification team to determine these places.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Asmara, 25 May 2000