Ethiopia "Allowed To Defy International Law"

Eritrea Says Security Council Has Encouraged Ethiopia To ‘Defy’ International Law

New York, Sep 25 2006 7:00PM

Ethiopia has been allowed to defy international law for four years and reject the binding decision on the demarcation of its border with Eritrea because the Security Council has chosen to encourage and support its conduct, Eritrean Health Minister Saleh S. Meky told the General Assembly today.

Mr. Meky said Ethiopia’s refusal to accept the Boundary Commission’s arbitration of the border violates the Algiers Peace Agreement between the two nations and threatens the peace and security of the wider Horn of Africa region.

He said Ethiopia would not have been able to breach the agreement “with impunity” if its conduct had not been “encouraged and supported by certain powers in the UN Security Council.”

Mr. Meky said both the Council and Secretary-General Kofi Annan “chose to accommodate” Ethiopia when its Government sent a letter in 2003 announcing its rejection of the Boundary Commission ruling and calling for a “new mechanism” to overrule that decision.

“When the chips are down, major powers, and especially the United States, continue to pursue their perceived narrow interests at the expense of regional peace and security, and the sovereign rights of nations and peoples.”

He also accused the Secretary-General’s periodic reports on the work of the UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) of downplaying Ethiopian violations and instead apportioning blame equally between the neighbouring countries or singling out Eritrea for criticism.

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