Government official to meet with UN envoy

The Eritrean government has offered to send one of its officials to meet with United Nations Special Envoy, Lloyd Axworthy, who is trying to resolve the border dispute between Eritrea and Ethiopia, the spokeswoman for the UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) said. "I can confirm that I have heard that the Eritrean government has in fact offered to have their own envoy meet with the Special Envoy," Gail Bindley Taylor Sainte told journalists in a weekly video-linked press briefing from Asmara on Thursday. Axworthy had tried but failed to meet with Eritrean officials ever since he was appointed in December 2003 by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, to try and resolve a deadlock over the implementation of an independent ruling over a border dispute between Eritrea and Ethiopia. The ruling was made in the Hague in April 2002. Ethiopia rejected parts of the ruling and called for dialogue to resolve the matter. Eritrea, on the hand, refused to engage in dialogue until the decision has been implemented. Since the ruling was announced, no construction work has taken place on the 1,000-kilometre border to demarcate it. Axworthy visited the region and met with Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi in February, but he failed to meet with President Isayas Afeworki. Axworthy however told IRIN at the time: "Having fought some nine elections for the Canadian parliament I am used to having a few doors slammed in my face first time round. But I am pretty persistent in going back." A former Canadian politician, Axworthy is best known for his role in pushing through a global treaty to ban anti-personnel land mines.