Eritrea rejects calls for fresh border-row talks

Asmara, Eritrea

28 February 2006 09:30
Eritrea has rebuffed suggestions for fresh talks over the border stalemate with arch-foe Ethiopia, calling such proposals "deviations" from the 2002 independent border ruling.Asmara was reacting late on Monday to proposals last week by observers to the 2000 peace deal that ended the Horn of Africa countries' 1998-2000 border war and which called for the demarcation to be up for discussion."Any attempts to derail the dispensation of the border demarcation from its legal course or even entertain other 'alternative mechanisms' suggestive of dragging behind or holding up the process will have no legal bearings or serve any other purpose than to prompt events that would set off a dangerous precedent," the foreign ministry said in a statement."Thus, the government of Eritrea does not recognise nor accept these deviations," it added.Last week, the group calling itself "Witnesses" to the 2000 Ethio-Eritrean peace talks -- comprising delegates from the African Union, European Union, United States, Algeria and United Nations -- urged the two nations to respect the terms of the deal and end the current stand-off between them.They also urged fresh talks on the contentious border demarcation."The Witnesses urge the [border] commission to convene a meeting with the parties ... to consider the need for technical discussions with the support of a neutral facilitator to assist with the process of demarcation," the observers said.In spite of agreeing to respect the border ruling, Ethiopia has refused to implement the terms fully, arguing that the flashpoint town of Badme awarded to Eritrea risks splitting families.Eritrea has repeatedly warned of a new conflict unless it is accepted, while complaining vehemently that the international community is favouring its larger neighbour.To show its displeasure with the UN, Asmara has slapped restrictions on UN peacekeepers monitoring the 1 000km border and expelled North American and European peacekeeping staff.It has refused to respond to UN Security Council demands, backed by the threat of sanctions, to lift the curbs. -- Sapa-AFP

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