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Addis Ababa reopens border to UN peacekeepers

    NAIROBI

    Ethiopia on Monday rescinded a decision to close its border to UN peacekeepers operating in Ethiopia and Eritrea.

    In a statement, the UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) announced that the move had followed discussions between the Secretary-General's Special Representative, Legwaila Joseph Legwaila, and various stakeholders, including Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.

    Ethiopia closed its border with Eritrea to UNMEE on 27 April, accusing it of "grossly violating" its mandate by taking journalists to the disputed border town of Badme via the Eritrean capital, Asmara. Following an independent border ruling last month, both countries claimed that Badme - where their border dispute flared up in 1998 - had been awarded to them.

    The state-owned Eritrean newspaper Hadas Eritrea accused the Ethiopian government of "delaying and hindering" implementation of the ruling. "The weyane [Ethiopia] regime, as usual, after officially accepting the ruling, is seen as impeding the implementation process," the paper wrote.

    UNMEE said its area of operation continued to remain calm.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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