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In an effort to speed up deployment of UN solders on the border between Ethiopia and Eritrea, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has informed the Security Council that 19 member states from around the world were ready to contribute troops to the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea, a UN spokesman said on Thursday.
Ethiopia and Eritrea signed a ceasefire to end a two-year border war in June. Brokered by the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), the deal called for the deployment of a UN peacekeeping force in a buffer zone 25 km into Eritrean territory. The spokesman said the mission intended to deploy an initial group of 100 military observers in coming weeks.
These unarmed troops would carry out various tasks, including maintaining liaison with the parties in the field, setting up a mechanism to verify the cessation of hostilities, and assisting in planning for the peacekeeping operation.
The countries which pledged to contribute troops so far include observers are Algeria, Austria, Canada, China, Finland, Ghana, India, Italy, Kenya, Nepal, Peru, Poland, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Tanzania, Ukraine, Uraguay and Zambia.
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