SECRETARY-GENERAL HOPES FOR PROMPT DEMARCATION OF ERITREA-ETHIOPIA BORDER FOLLOWING SUCCESSFUL BOUNDARY COMMISSION MEETING IN LONDON

SECRETARY-GENERAL HOPES FOR PROMPT DEMARCATION OF ERITREA-ETHIOPIA BORDER

FOLLOWING SUCCESSFUL BOUNDARY COMMISSION MEETING IN LONDON

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan:

The Secretary-General welcomes the outcome of the meeting of the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission, convened in London on 10 March.  He was pleased to hear that the parties participated in the meeting constructively, and encouraged by their agreement to arrangements for the demarcation of the boundary, which the Commission delimited in April 2002, to be resumed.

The Secretary-General hopes that this positive development will allow the Commission’s decision to be implemented without further delay.  He urges the parties to cooperate fully with the Commission and with the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) for this purpose, and also to carry out their full obligations to facilitate the work of UNMEE under United Nations Security Council resolutions 1320 (2000), 1398 (2002) and 1430 (2002).

The United Nations stands ready to provide the necessary support to facilitate the demarcation process.  The Secretary-General firmly believes that full and prompt demarcation of the border is a central element in the overall peace process and can be a key to its early and successful conclusion, with the establishment of normal peaceful relations between the two countries.

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For information media • not an official record