Senior UN peacekeeping official to meet Isayas

The UN Under Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Jean-Marie Guehenno, who is in Eritrea, was due to have talks with President Isayas Afewerki and Foreign Minister Ali Sayyid Abdallah on Friday. Guehenno, who is in the region to discuss implementation of the recent ruling on the border with Ethiopia, also met representatives of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, the Friends of UNMEE and the Facilitators of the Peace Process. He arrived in the country on Wednesday for a three-day visit after spending two days in Addis Ababa where he met separately with Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, Dr Amara Essy, the Secretary-General of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) and Brigadier-General Yohannes Gebremeskel, Ethiopia’s Commissioner for Coordination with UNMEE. Diplomatic sources said Guehenno discussed issues which have arisen since 13 April when the independent Boundary Commission in The Hague issued a ruling on where the border lies between Eritrea and Ethiopia. The ruling, aimed at ending the border conflict between the two countries, has been questioned by Ethiopia, which has called for "interpretation, correction and consultation". Ethiopia also said the ruling contains "significant errors". Both Ethiopia and Eritrea claim they have been awarded the village of Badme - where the border war flared up in 1998. Last month, Ethiopia closed its border to the UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) and demanded the removal of the Force Commander, Major General Patrick Cammaert. Although it has since reopened the border, the Ethiopian government is still demanding the removal of Major General Cammaert. Eritrean President Isayas Afewerki recently accused Ethiopia of "conjuring up new pretexts" to delay implementation of the border ruling.