“Technical Arrangements” still unacceptable to Ethiopia

Although the two neighbours Ethiopia and Eritrea maintain that they support the 11-point Framework Agreement endorsed by the Organisation of African Unity’s (OAU) heads of state summit in Burkina Faso in June 1998 and also the modalities for its implementation endorsed in Algiers during the 35th Summit of the OAU, Ethiopia finds the Technical Arrangements deficient “on a number of counts”. The Ethiopian consul in Nairobi, Mengistu Ayalew, told IRIN on Wednesday that the return to the “status quo ante” is not “fully guaranteed”, hence it is “unacceptable to Ethiopia”. Ayalew said the Technical Arrangements document is silent on the “specific areas” to be evacuated by Eritrea. It also calls for the setting up of a peace keeping mission under the UN. “This is contrary to the mandate that is clearly stipulated in the Framework Agreement and agreed to, which recommends the deployment of a group of military observers by the OAU with the support of the UN,” he said. “Ethiopia, being fully aware that the presence of such a force would undermine its sovereignty, would certainly not accept a situation not envisaged and [not] fully in conformity with the Framework Agreement and the modalities,” he added. Eritrea for its part, says it is in agreement with the Framework Agreement, modalities and the Technical Arrangements. “Pressure should be put on Ethiopia even if it means imposing sanctions on it,” the embassy spokesman in Nairobi, Kidane Woldeyesus told IRIN on Thursday. “Ethiopia is deliberately holding the peace process hostage because all these documents are very clear on what should be done by each party in the conflict and when,” he said.