ASMARA, Eritrea (Reuters) - An increasingly belligerent border stalemate between Ethiopia and Eritrea could lead to renewed war, the top U.N. peacekeeper in the conflict said on Thursday. The two Horn of Africa countries fought a 1998-2000 border war that killed an estimated 70,000 people. Under a deal to end the conflict, both agreed to accept an independent commission's decision on where the border should be. But Ethiopia was unhappy with the April 2002 ruling that gave a disputed border town to Eritrea. Eritrea has demanded the commission decision be accepted in full. In recent months more Ethiopian troops have moved closer to the frontier, raising the temperature in the volatile region.
"The stalemate is firmly wedged between these two irreconcilable positions. The danger of the continued stalemate is war," said Legwaila Joseph Legwaila, head of the U.N. peacekeeping mission that patrols a security zone between Eritrea and Ethiopia. "The longer there is no solution to the stalemate, the more it becomes very difficult to monitor a temporary security zone, while violent rhetoric is emanating from both capitals," he told a news conference. Legwaila said a March 14 U.N. Security Council resolution extending the peacekeeping mission in Eritrea and Ethiopia was too weak. "This resolution should have been more forceful to indicate to the parties that the U.N. Security Council is running out of patience," Legwaila said. "As a peacekeeper, I was disappointed because I did not think there was enough meat in it." | They'll get to you right after they deal with Sudan. |
It followed a stronger report from U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan that criticized Ethiopia for moving as many as 48,000 troops close to the border in December. It also criticized Eritrea's refusal to hold talks with the border commission and Ethiopia in London. In November, Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said he had accepted the border ruling "in principle," but wanted talks with Asmara first. Eritrea refused categorically, and rejected the commission's invitation to talks in London in February and also a visit from U.N. Special Envoy Lloyd Axworthy. | I really don't care anymore. They want to fight over this worthless patch of dirt, let them. Just throw a fence around the whole area and let them have at it. |
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