UN special envoy appointed to help stalled process

Former Canadian foreign minister Lloyd Axworthy has been appointed UN special envoy to help resolve the stalled Ethiopia and Eritrea peace process, diplomatic sources said on Monday. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan wrote to both countries on 22 December informing them of his decision to appoint the former minister, the sources stated. The sources added that both countries have responded, although details of the letters remain unknown. Axworthy, a former nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize, is best known for his role in pushing through a global treaty to ban anti-personnel landmines. “The appointment has been made and this should send the message that the international community is taking the peace process very seriously,” one ambassador in Addis Ababa said. “This is a good step forward and comes at a critical time in the process.” As yet, it is unclear how Axworthy's role in keeping the three-year peace process on track will fit in with that of the UN’s peacekeeping force headed by Legwaila Joseph Legwaila. Demarcation of the contested border between Ethiopia and Eritrea – where a bloody two-year war was fought – has stalled amid wrangling over the contested border town Badme. Ethiopia wants the United Nations to consider an “alternative mechanism” to resolve the controversy and has called for dialogue with Eritrea. Asmara has rejected dialogue until demarcation of the 1,000 km border is complete. In the peace deal of December 2000, both sides agreed that the border ruling, issued by an independent boundary commission, would be final and binding.