Security Council mission arrives

The head of the UN Security Council mission to Ethiopia and Eritrea said on Thursday that the team would push forward the peace process between the two countries. Ambassador Ole Peter Kolby of Norway was speaking on arrival at Bole International Airport in Ethiopia. "We come here as friends to be supportive," he told a press conference after arriving late on Thursday night. "The mission will, among other things, also encourage the parties to move forward with confidence building measures. That goes for both parties." "As you know the decision of the Boundary Commission [on border delimitation] is imminent and we are here to help the parties with the implementation of this decision," he added. The UN Secretary General’s Special Representative, General Legwaila Joseph Legwaila, who heads the 4,000-strong peacekeeping mission in both countries, met the delegation at the airport, along with Ethiopia's ambassador to the UN, Abdul Mejid Hussein. "The Security Council has its own issues and we have our own point of view that we want to put across to both parties," Ambassador Kolby stated. This is the first time all 15 members of the Security Council have been to Ethiopia. They are planning to boost confidence ahead of the delayed announcement by the Boundary Commission, which was due to issue its decision at the end of February. The commission, which is based in The Hague, is now expected to reach a decision in March. Ambassador Kolby and his team will spend two days in Ethiopia, before travelling to Eritrea at the weekend. During the visit, they are due to meet Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and President Isayas Afewerki of Eritrea. The delegation is also expected to visit the symbolic Mereb River – a bridge crossing that links both countries. Ethiopia and Eritrea went to war over a border dispute in May 1998 and tens of thousands of troops were killed on both sides in the ensuing two-year conflict. A final peace accord was signed in Algiers in December 2000. "The Security Council is here to assist the parties in the implementation of the agreement they have both signed in Algiers," Kolby told reporters. "We will also discuss with the parties the implementation of that decision and also other issues pertaining to the peace process."