ETHIOPIA/ERITREA: UNITED NATIONS ANNOUNCE SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS IN DEMILITARISATION OF BORDER AREAS.
Record ID:
337909
ETHIOPIA/ERITREA: UNITED NATIONS ANNOUNCE SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS IN DEMILITARISATION OF BORDER AREAS.
- Title: ETHIOPIA/ERITREA: UNITED NATIONS ANNOUNCE SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS IN DEMILITARISATION OF BORDER AREAS.
- Date: 12th August 2001
- Summary: MEREB RIVER, ETHIOPIA/ERITREA BORDER (AUGUST 09, 2001) (REUTERS- ACCESS ALL) 1. AV: AERIAL OF ALONG MEREB RIVER 0.06 2. LV/ZOOM IN: UNITED NATIONS HELICOPTER LANDING 0.13 3. GV: UNITED NATIONS INDIAN PEACEKEEPERS 0.17 4. MV: ITALIAN MILITARY POLICE 0.21 5. CU: UN FLAG 0.26 6. MV: UNITED NATIONS OFFICIALS ARRIVING ON BRIDGE (3 SHOTS) 0.46 7. MCU: (SOUNDBITE)(English) LEGWAILA JOSEPH LEGWAILA , SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY-GENERAL SAYING: "I continue to engage both governments in discussing the peace process. I meet frequently with the two Principals and senior government officials, with the same objective of ensuring that peace between the two countries is consolidated. The priorities of UNMEE at this point in time are basically two. Firstly, to ensure that operations within the Zone continue to strengthen the process. Secondly, to continue to search for solutions to issues of concern to both Governments." 1.25 8. GV: OFFICIALS ON BRIDGE 1.30 9. MCU: SOUNDBITE (English) LEGWAILA JOSEPH LEGWAILA SAYING: "It is not the intention of our force, to snoop on the troops, to snoop on their armaments, to go into the places where they have stored their weapons to find out if they have missiles and what kind of missiles, that is none of our business. Our business is to ensure that the redeployed forces are redeployed peacefully." 1.57 10. MV: VARIOUS OF UN DIGNITARIES (2 SHOTS) 2.05 11. MCU: (SOUNDBITE)(English) MAJOR-GENERAL PATRICK CAMMAERT, UNITED NATIONS FORCE COMMANDER SAYING: "Ethiopian army is in full swing with their demobilisation and restructuring their army and you see a thinning-out of forces. On the northern side, the northern boundary of the Temporary Security Zone, the Eritrean armed forces are also preparing for their demobilisation at the end of the year. They also are thinning out, so it is a very good and positive sign from both sides." 2.38 12. MV: UN SOLDIERS 2.43 13. GV: WIDE OF BRIDGE WITH OFFICIALS 2.49 14. GV: MEREB BRIDGE WITH UN FLAG FLYING 2.56 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 27th August 2001 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: MEREB RIVER, ETHIOPIA/ ERITREA BORDER
- City:
- Country: Eritrea Ethiopia
- Reuters ID: LVAB4XXNKW2UCWUT88RB21N3S9U9
- Story Text: The United Nations has announced that significant
progress had been made in demilitarisation of border areas
between Ethiopia and Eritrea, but warned that both countries
still harboured mutual suspicions.
At a press conference held in the middle of a bridge
spanning the Mereb river and joining Ethiopia and Eritrea,
United Nations officials on Thursday (August 9) called on more
efforts by both sides to keep the peace process on track.
Kofi Annan's special representative to the region,
Legwaila Joseph Legwaila said that he discussed with both
countries and reported back to the UN on how the peace process
was progressing adding that he met frequently with the two
Principals and senior government officials with the objective
of ensuring that peace between the two countries was
consolidated.
He said, "The priorities of UNMEE at this point in time
are basically two. Firstly, to ensure that operations within
the Zone continue to strengthen the process. Secondly, to
continue to search for solutions to issues of concern to both
Governments."
However Legwaila also requested the two countries to stop
viewing the UN as a force spying on their deployments or
military hardware.
"It is not the intention of our force, to snoop on the
troops, to snoop on their armaments, to go into the places
where they have stored their weapons to find out if they have
missiles and what kind of missiles, that is none of our
business. Our business is to ensure that the redeployed forces
are redeployed peacefully," he said.
Ethiopia and Eritrea agreed a U.N. -brokered ceasefire in
June last year, but the dispute over the trivial issues and
details have deepened lingering ill will between the Horn of
Africa states.
The United Nations established a 25 km (15 mile)-wide
buffer zone along the border, monitored by several thousand
U.N. peacekeepers.
However, Ethiopia and Eritrea routinely accuse each other
of breaking the agreement by sneaking troops into the zone.
Despite this the UN force commander confirms that there are
positive moves.
"Ethiopian army is in full swing with their demobilisation
and restructuring their army and you see a thinning-out of
forces. On the northern side, the northern boundary of the
Temporary Security Zone, the Eritrean armed forces are also
preparing for their demobilisation at the end of the year.
They also are thinning out, so it is a very good and positive
sign from both sides," said Major-General Patrick Cammaert.
The bridge seen as a symbolic link to peace was destroyed
during the war and was recently reconstructed by Indian Army
engineers who are part of the United Nations peacekeepers to
the two countries. The materials for the bridge were donated
by the Government of The Netherlands.
The bridge now joins the Ethiopian village of Rama to the
Eritrean town of Adi Quala.
Eritrean guerrillas toppled Mengistu's Marxist government
in 1991 after a 30-year liberation struggle, leading to the
independence of Eritrea from the much larger Ethiopia in 1993.
Tens of thousands of troops were killed during the war
that began in May 1998 and ended with the June ceasefire after
Ethiopian forces scored a string of battlefield victories.
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