Peace process on course despite renewed difficulties, says UN

The UN expressed "concern" on Friday over the fragile state of the peace process between Ethiopia and Eritrea. Its warning came as the independent boundary commission upheld a ruling that the symbolic village of Badme was in Eritrea – a decision opposed by Ethiopia. "We are going to do our utmost to ensure that the peace process continues on track," said Gail Bindley Taylor Sainte of the UN’s Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE). "We are concerned, and as a result we will increase our efforts to ensure that the peace process continues and progresses." But while it was facing renewed difficulties, Sainte added, UNMEE remained "optimistic" because Ethiopia and Eritrea had committed themselves to peace. Both countries signed a peace deal in December 2000 after a two-year war, agreeing that an independent commission would draw up an internationally recognised new border. She also said that the head of the 4,200-strong Blue Helmets had warned of "reasons for concern" since the latest Eritrea Ethiopia Boundary Commission ruling. Sainte noted that the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary General, Legwaila Joseph Legwaila, was flying between the two capitals using "shuttle diplomacy" to ensure that the peace process stayed on track. It also emerged that demarcation of the contested 1,000-km border, which is due to start in July, would be completed in one go. "It cannot be done in bits and pieces," Sainte told the weekly video-link briefing between Asmara and Addis Ababa. "It can’t start and stop." That means that both sides must agree on delimitation and demarcation before the physical construction of the border pillars begins. It is due to be complete by November. UN Force Commander Maj-Gen Robert Gordon said both Ethiopia and Eritrea had committed themselves to peace. "We are here to help them in this process, to monitor their adherence to their peace agreement," he said. Gordon also insisted that neither side was "violating or preparing to violate" the peace deal. "As an experienced force commander, I see nothing that jeopardises the sanctity of the border or nothing that would identify an aggressive posture by either side. The end, in our view, is that both countries want this peace and want a border that they can live with properly demarcated," he stated. He also noted that the international community was "absolutely engaged" in ensuring that the two-year peace between the two countries did not break down. [ENDS]