ETHIOPIA/ERITREA: UNMEE'S RELOCATION TO ETHIOPIA

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 ADDIS ABABA 000352

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR AF AND AF/E , AND INR/AA
LONDON, PARIS, ROME FOR AFRICA WATCHER
CJTF-HOA AND USCENTCOM FOR POLAD

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/11/2018
TAGS: KPKO PREL PBTS MOPS ET ER
SUBJECT: ETHIOPIA/ERITREA: UNMEE'S RELOCATION TO ETHIOPIA
UNDERWAY

REF: A. 08 ADDIS ABABA 117

B. 08 ADDIS ABABA 304

Classified By: Ambassador Donald Yamamoto for Reasons 1.4 (B) and (D).


1. (C) SUMMARY. On February 11, Acting Special
Representative of the Secretary General Azouz Ennifar and
United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) Force
Commander Major General Taisir Masadeh briefed the Ambassador
and the diplomatic community that UNMEE's relocation from
Eritrea to Ethiopia was underway and that he expected all
UNMEE military forces to be out of Eritrea by the end of
February. Ennifar noted that UNMEE did not have the fuel to
remove all its equipment and assets and therefore would leave
some behind with a small civilian staff in Asmara. General
Taisir added that UNMEE would make every attempt to remove as
much equipment of military value as possible. Ennifar
stressed that the relocation to Ethiopia was temporary,
perhaps only three months, and that the relocating forces
would not operate in Ethiopia under an agreement with the
Ethiopian government, which did not want additional
observation of its own military activities. Lastly, Ennifar
insisted that the Temporary Security Zone (TSZ) still exists
and that UNMEE's departure did not in any way impact on the
2000 Cessation of Hostilities Agreements signed by Ethiopia
and Eritrea. END SUMMARY.

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UNMEE'S RELOCATION OPERATION STARTING
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2. (C) Ennifar opened by announcing that because of
continued Eritrean fuel restrictions (REF A) the UN Secretary
General on February 5 approved UNMEE's relocation to Ethiopia
and that the process had begun. Ennifar said that UNMEE will
keep a small civilian staff in place in Asmara, but that all
other UNMEE personnel will move to Ethiopia. He expected all
military forces to be out of Eritrea by the end of February
and the last departing civilians out by mid-March except for
those in Asmara headquarters. Ennifar said that he had
notified the Eritrean government, but that UNMEE had yet to
receive any reaction from Asmara. He also explained that he
did not yet have permission from the Eritrean government to
leave a civilian contingent in Asmara.


3. (C) Ennifar introduced the UN technical assessment team
sent to explore future options for UNMEE, and noted Asmara
gave them permission and visas to visit Eritrea, but that the
Eritrean government canceled the visas at the last minute
without explanation.


4. (C) General Taisir added that the first convoy of five
trucks had crossed the border on February 10 with no
problems. He said that the convoy was a test of Eritrea's
willingness to let UNMEE depart with equipment and that a
second convoy would be sent across the border on February 11
to test Eritrea again. Large-scale movement of UNMEE forces
will commence on February 13. (NOTE: The relocation will
consist of the movement of approximately 1,450 military and
civilian personnel from Eritrea to Ethiopia where UNMEE
already has 250 personnel deployed.)

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UNMEE WILL LEAVE SOME EQUIPMENT/INFRASTRUCTURE BEHIND
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5. (C) Ennifar noted that UNMEE did not have the fuel and
time to remove all of UNMEE's equipment and infrastructure.
Therefore, UNMEE would present Asmara with concise lists of
all equipment left behind. He said the UNMEE civilian staff
left in Asmara would be primarily employed with
administrative duties monitoring the remaining equipment, but
that all of the field locations, including 21 posts and 11
team sites, would be left unoccupied. General Taisir added
that UNMEE had only 90,000 liters of fuel to conduct the
operation.


6. (C) General Taisir underscored that UNMEE forces would
make every attempt to remove all military stores and

ADDIS ABAB 00000352 002 OF 003


equipment that might be of military use should the government
of Eritrea confiscate what UNMEE leaves behind. The UN head
of the technical mission stressed that the UN would maintain
accountability for the equipment and that if the UN was
unable to retrieve it, Asmara would be presented with the
bill. The Ambassador noted that the United States was still
attempting to obtain compensation for equipment confiscated
by Asmara during the 1998-2000 border war and many around the
table expressed skepticism that the equipment would ever be
retrieved.


7. (C) When queried what might be the financial impact of
UNMEE's departure on Eritrea, Ennifar responded that he did
not know for sure, but that since all of UNMEE's sites would
remain in place, UNMEE would continue to pay rent to the
Eritrean government.

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RELOCATION TO ETHIOPIA TEMPORARY
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8. (C) Ennifar said that the Ethiopian government had
agreed to the relocation with the demand that the relocating
UNMEE forces, particularly the additional military observers,
would not operate in Ethiopia and that they would remain in
Ethiopia only for a short time. Ennifar estimated that the
forces would be in Ethiopia for approximately three months.
Ennifar said the decision to relocate was made by the
Secretary General, but that what happens next is up to the

SIPDIS
Security Council. The UNMEE forces already in Ethiopia will
continue to operate as they have been, monitoring the
flashpoints and major lines of communication at the border.


9. (C) The head of the assessment team, in response to a
question on the possible use of satellite imagery to monitor
the border, noted that it was the UN's policy that the host
country, in this case both Ethiopia and Eritrea, must give
permission for any aerial observation activities to occur.
Few around the table expected either country to grant such
access. Ennifar added that helicopter observation of Eritrea
from Ethiopian airspace would be of limited use because the
harsh terrain would limit visibility and that UNMEE
helicopters flying too close to Eritrean airspace risked
being fired upon by Eritrean forces.

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UNMEE: TEMPORARY SECURITY ZONE STILL EXISTS
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10. (C) Ennifar asserted that it was the UN's position that
the Temporary Security Zone--the 25 kilometer wide buffer
zone largely in Eritrea that previously separated the
Ethiopian and Eritrean militaries--remained in place despite
UNMEE's departure. He also noted that UNMEE's relocation in
no way impacts on the Cessation of Hostilities Agreements
signed by the two parties at the end of the last war.

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TEMPORARY SITES IN ETHIOPIA IDENTIFIED
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11. (C) Under the arrangement agreed to between UNMEE and
Ethiopia, UNMEE will cross the border at Badme, Mereb Bridge,
Zela Ambessa, and Bure. The Force Commander and his staff
will move to Mekele, the Indian Battalion will move to
Adigrat, the Jordanian Battalion will move to Axum, and the
Assab contingent will move to Manda. UNMEE's hospital in
Asmara will be moved to Axum.

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COMMENT
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12. (C) Although the UN continues to characterize UNMEE's
relocation to Ethiopia as temporary, few observers in Addis
Ababa believe the mission will ever return to Eritrea. The
issue of the equipment and infrastructure left behind in
Eritrea by UNMEE almost certainly will become an open sore,
particularly with the troop contributing countries to whom

ADDIS ABAB 00000352 003 OF 003


the equipment belongs. While Ethiopian CHOD General Samora
does not see any utility to UNMEE and prefers that it depart,
Prime Minister Meles appears willing to accept UNMEE's
continued presence in Ethiopia provided UNMEE is changed into
a downsized observer mission focused on monitoring Eritrean
military activity rather than observing Ethiopian military
movements. However, in order to facilitate UNMEE's
reconfiguration, discussions with Meles should occur soon to
determine Ethiopia's conditions for such an arrangement, as
it is clear he will not permit UNMEE to operate under its
current mandate beyond July 31, 2008.
YAMAMOTO