US to blame for border stalemate - Afwerki

Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki has said the United States is "complicating" efforts to resolve his country's border dispute with Ethiopia and encouraged his neighbour to defy the ruling of an international boundary commission. In an address to the nation on Eritrea's fifteenth anniversary of independence on Wednesday, Afwerki criticised the US for "attempting to lump together" the boundary issue with concerns over the United Nations peacekeeping misssion in the frontier zone. Frustrated at the lack of progress in resolving the border dispute, Eritrea banned flights by the UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) over its territory in October 2005 and expelled some of the peacekeeping mission's North American and European personnel, hampering UNMEE’s ability to monitor the volatile border zone. In January, a high-level US mediation team, led by Assistant Secretary of State Jendayi Frazer, travelled to Ethiopia in a bid to break the border stalemate, but the American delegation was forced to cancel a planned visit to Eritrea because the government would not facilitate the trip. Eritrea and Ethiopia have been in a tense standoff over the demarcation of their shared 1,000km border since an independent boundary commission announced its ruling in April 2002. As part of the peace settlement that ended their 1998-2000 border war, both countries had agreed to abide by the commission's decision. Ethiopia, however, refused to implement the ruling, which awarded the border town of Badme, the conflict's flashpoint, to Eritrea. It has called for renewed "dialogue" over the issue, arguing that the commission's ruling would divide communities living in the frontier zone. Eritrea has insisted that Ethiopia accept the ruling and opposed reopening negotiations on the subject. "The US administration is in effect vouching for and encouraging the TPLF's [Ethiopia's ruling party] defiance of international law thereby undermining the integrity of treaties, the rule of law and the Boundary Commission's decision. Misinformation on 'peoples and villages that will be divided' is a ruse," Afwerki said. Meanwhile, Amnesty International has urged Afwerki to improve the country's much-criticised human rights record by freeing all prisoners of conscience. "Amnesty International is renewing its appeals to the government to release men and women who are prisoners of conscience detained without charge, trial or any legal status, because of their political opinions or religious beliefs, or because they or their children have evaded military service," the rights watchdog said in a statement released on Wednesday to coincide with Eritrea's Independence Day. The organisation also renewed its call to the international community, including the United Nations, African Union, European Union and countries with bilateral ties with Eritrea, to support its appeals for Eritrean authorities to respect human rights and individual liberties. US to blame for border stalemate - Afwerki NAIROBI, 25 May (IRIN) - Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki has said the United States is "complicating" efforts to resolve his country's border dispute with Ethiopia and encouraged his neighbour to defy the ruling of an international boundary commission. In an address to the nation on Eritrea's fifteenth anniversary of independence on Wednesday, Afwerki criticised the US for "attempting to lump together" the boundary issue with concerns over the United Nations peacekeeping misssion in the frontier zone. Frustrated at the lack of progress in resolving the border dispute, Eritrea banned flights by the UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) over its territory in October 2005 and expelled some of the peacekeeping mission's North American and European personnel, hampering UNMEE’s ability to monitor the volatile border zone. In January, a high-level US mediation team, led by Assistant Secretary of State Jendayi Frazer, travelled to Ethiopia in a bid to break the border stalemate, but the American delegation was forced to cancel a planned visit to Eritrea because the government would not facilitate the trip. Eritrea and Ethiopia have been in a tense standoff over the demarcation of their shared 1,000km border since an independent boundary commission announced its ruling in April 2002. As part of the peace settlement that ended their 1998-2000 border war, both countries had agreed to abide by the commission's decision. Ethiopia, however, refused to implement the ruling, which awarded the border town of Badme, the conflict's flashpoint, to Eritrea. It has called for renewed "dialogue" over the issue, arguing that the commission's ruling would divide communities living in the frontier zone. Eritrea has insisted that Ethiopia accept the ruling and opposed reopening negotiations on the subject. "The US administration is in effect vouching for and encouraging the TPLF's [Ethiopia's ruling party] defiance of international law thereby undermining the integrity of treaties, the rule of law and the Boundary Commission's decision. Misinformation on 'peoples and villages that will be divided' is a ruse," Afwerki said. Meanwhile, Amnesty International has urged Afwerki to improve the country's much-criticised human rights record by freeing all prisoners of conscience. "Amnesty International is renewing its appeals to the government to release men and women who are prisoners of conscience detained without charge, trial or any legal status, because of their political opinions or religious beliefs, or because they or their children have evaded military service," the rights watchdog said in a statement released on Wednesday to coincide with Eritrea's Independence Day. The organisation also renewed its call to the international community, including the United Nations, African Union, European Union and countries with bilateral ties with Eritrea, to support its appeals for Eritrean authorities to respect human rights and individual liberties.