Mapping, demining urged after border ruling

Members of the UN Security Council have recommended that mapping and demining should go ahead as soon as a ruling on the border between Ethiopia and Eritrea is announced later this month. A report, issued by a high-level Security Council mission which visited the two countries last month, stressed the importance of the upcoming ruling by the international Boundary Commission in The Hague. Ethiopia and Eritrea went to war in 1998 over a border dispute, and the ruling - postponed from last month - will delimit the common border, ahead of the physical demarcation. "The Boundary Commission should, in accordance with the Algiers [peace] Agreements, be encouraged to proceed immediately, upon announcement of its delimitation decision, with the necessary technical arrangements to establish an aerial photo map to be used in the demarcation process," the report stated. "Once the Boundary Commission has located the individual boundary pillars on the aerial photo map, all demining required for demarcation should move forward without delay." Thousands of mines were laid during the two-year war, and although demining activities are under way, many areas still remain heavily mined. "The Boundary Commission should be encouraged to proceed with physical demarcation on the ground immediately as stretches of the border are declared mine-free," the report added. It also recommended that the Security Council should look into how the UN peacekeeping mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) could play an "appropriate role" in the demarcation process. In accordance with the Algiers peace accord signed by Ethiopia and Eritrea in December 2000, the Boundary Commission's mandate is "to delimit and demarcate the colonial treaty border based on pertinent colonial treaties (1900, 1902 and 1908) and applicable international law". The mission report urged all those involved in the peace process to intensify contacts with the authorities in both countries "with the aim of opening a new page in the history of their relations". It also expressed the hope that medium- and long-term development programmes would help restore economic, social, and political stability to the two countries. The report called on donors to respond urgently to appeals for humanitarian assistance for both Ethiopia and Eritrea so that the countries "can face the challenges that lie ahead". [See also IRIN report of 1 March 2002 "Security Council urges restraint ahead of border decision" at http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=23396]