Ethiopia to ignore UNSC, for now, on the border

UNCLAS ADDIS ABABA 001367 SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR AF/E, INR/AA, AND PRM/AFR LONDON, PARIS, ROME FOR AFRICA WATCHER USCENTCOM AND CJTF-HOA FOR POLAD E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KPKO PBTS PGOV ET ER SUBJECT: Ethiopia to ignore UNSC, for now, on the border Summary -------------- ¶1. (SBU) Ethiopian State Minister Tekeda Alemu told Ambassador May 17 that Ethiopia was deeply frustrated that Eritrea was allowed to restrict UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) troop movement and end the UNMEE mission without consequence, thus negating the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement, the fundamental treaty ending the Ethiopia-Eritrea border war and binding both Eritrea and Ethiopia to the Algiers Accord process for resolving their bilateral problems and the border dispute. Tekeda said discussions by the UNSC of the Belgium proposals and a speech by DPKO Under Secretary Guehenno on April 22 convey to Ethiopia that the UNSC will not reaffirm and "restore" the conditions established by the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (a neutral demilitarized Temporary Security Zone, troops from both sides positioned away from the TSZ and commitment not to use violence). For now, Ethiopia will ignore the UNSC or remain quiet on UNSC proposals. Dropping out of the Algiers process remains an option for Ethiopia if they feel Eritrean action, such as encroachment into Djiboutian territory and continued actions along the border, are not addressed by the UNSC. End Summary. Cessation of Hostilities Agreement is Abrogated -------------- -- ¶2. (SBU) State Minister Tekeda, Ethiopia's point person for the border issue, remarked to Ambassador that the Ethiopian Government (GoE) is deeply frustrated that the UNSC took no action to curb Eritrea's actions to restrict UNMEE troop activities and end the UNMEE mission. He said Foreign Minister Seyoum and Prime Minister Meles were particularly disappointed with UNDPKO Under Secretary Guehenno's speech to the UNSC on April 22 and what they view as the UN seeking to move beyond the UNMEE operation to other measures that could be taken to move the peace process forward. Tekeda stressed that there can be no forward movement on the resolution of the border without the firm commitment of the parties, the UN, and Witnesses to the Algiers Accord to support the two basic agreements (Algiers Accord and Cessation of Hostilities Agreement) which bind the parties together to resolve themselves the problems that divide them and the border dispute. Further, the UNSC discussions on the Belgium proposals also ignore the sanctity of the two agreements. Tekeda's point was that you cannot get to point C (sustainable peace) without ensuring that points A (Algiers Accord) and B (Cessation of Hostilities Agreement) are complied with by both parties. ¶3. (SBU) Ambassador urged Tekeda that the GoE should not drop out of the Algiers process because then the UNSC would clearly focus on Ethiopia as ending the peace process and will overlook Eritrea's indiscretions, no matter how serious they may be to future UN peacekeeping operations. Tekeda responded that for now, the GoE would remain quiet, not commenting on any UNSC activities and proposals. Dropping out of the Algiers process remains an option, however, Tekeda noted. ¶4. (SBU) Should UN DPA Under Secretary Lyn Pascoe visit the region, Tekeda said the GoE would meet with and discuss any issue with Ambassador Pascoe, but would not commit to any proposal at this time, especially any request for a UN observer mission to be placed only in Ethiopia. Tekeda said earlier, the GoE was very supportive of this idea, as well as proposing other ideas to move the border discussions forward including normalization talks with Eritrea, a long-standing Ethiopian position, and the selection of a special envoy. Comment -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Consideration of any UNSC resolution on the border or adoption of any Belgium proposals, for now, would be counterproductive given Ethiopia's current frustration level. A visit by Ambassador Pascoe or other UN officials, prior to any action on the border, could be helpful in engaging the Ethiopians, defusing problems between the GoE and the UN, and calming their angst with the UNSC over the handling of Eritrea's treatment of the UNMEE troops and its mission. Ambassador reviewed the border issue with the ambassadors from Italy, UK, and France, all of whom expressed frustration with problems in moving the peace process forward. End Comment. YAMAMOTO