"Temporary arrangements" not a solution, says Annan

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has warned that lasting peace in Eritrea and Ethiopia cannot be based on "temporary arrangements". In his latest report to the Security Council, issued on Monday, he said the peace process was still at a critical stage. According to a UN summary of the report, he praised the two sides for their cooperation with the UN peacekeeping mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea, UNMEE. “However, lasting peace cannot be built on the basis of temporary arrangements,” he said. “In the absence of significant forward movement, precious momentum could be lost and prove difficult to regain, which in turn could impact on the longer-term goals of reconstruction and development.” Lasting peace, he added, required the expeditious demarcation of the border "and a relationship between the parties that enables them to address problems through peaceful discourse". “The absence of political contacts between the two countries since the negotiation of the Algiers Agreements [in 2000] has undoubtedly hindered the normalisation of bilateral relations – a vital element of any peace process,” he said. “Nothing will be more important than the commitment of the parties themselves.” “Since the terrible suffering of war ended three years ago, the governments and people of the two countries have invested heavily in peace," Annan stated. "It is crucial they take the remaining steps required to benefit fully from the yields of that investment.” Observers say border demarcation, due to begin in July, will probably be postponed. Ethiopia has expressed unhappiness with the ruling by an independent border commission, which among other issues, places the hotly contested town of Badme - where the war flared up in 1998 - in Eritrea. It is seeking "variations" to the border decision. Eritrea, for its part, has refused to hold any dialogue on the issue, saying the matter is closed and demarcation should begin as soon as possible.