Isayas says UN visit "positive"

Eritrean President Isayas Afewerki on Sunday hailed a visit by the UN Security Council, but said he expected United Nations peacekeepers to pull out "in a matter of months" following a ruling on the border between his country and Ethiopia. He was speaking at his office in Asmara after meeting all 15 members of a visiting Security Council mission, led by Ambassador Ole Peter Kolby of Norway. The international Boundary Commission, sitting in The Hague, is expected to deliver its verdict on delimitation of the Eritrea-Ethiopia border next month. The call by Isayas comes after the UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) announced that the Security Council is likely to extend UNMEE's mandate for another six months. The current mandate expires on 15 March. Isayas criticised both UNMEE and Ethiopia, accusing the peacekeeping force of having an "unbalanced approach" in favour of Eritrea's southern neighbour. And he accused Ethiopia of "wilfully violating" the Algiers peace accord of December 2000, which put an end to the two-year border war between both countries. He claimed Ethiopia had failed to provide UNMEE with detailed landmine information and had blocked the release of prisoners of war and civilian detainees. "To some extent, these violations have occurred because of UNMEE’s and the international community’s attitude of leniency towards Ethiopia," Isayas said. However, he hailed the visit of the Security Council mission, saying it was a continuation of the international community's commitment to work for peace between Ethiopia and Eritrea. He said the Boundary Commission’s decision should set the tone for "concrete measures for confidence-building". "We think this visit has come at the right moment," Isayas said. "The exchange of ideas on how we will proceed after the decision of the Boundary Commission is an important issue. The preparations for dealing with those issues and this initiative of the Security Council is a very positive move in my opinion." "There will be no conceivable reason for either country to amass or maintain troops along the common border," he added. "UNMEE’s presence itself will be phased out, probably progressively, in a matter of months after the decision on the Boundary Commission." "Both governments will thus need to take constructive steps to pave the way for meaningful coexistence, in the absence of a buffer zone and a UN peacekeeping force, on the basis of respect for one another’s sovereignty and territorial integrity," Isayas said. The president added that his country would abide by the Algiers peace agreement and accept the results of the Boundary Commission. "This is the 11th hour and one would expect both governments to be positive in dealing with the Security Council and United Nations at a very critical moment of the long conflict," he stated.