Eritrea rejects calls for fresh talks on Ethiopia border row

ASMARA – Eritrea has rebuffed suggestions for fresh talks over the border stalemate with arch-foe Ethiopia, terming such proposals as “deviations” from the 2002 independent border ruling.

Asmara was reacting late on Monday to proposals last week by observers to the 2000 peace deal that ended the Horn of Africa countries’ 1998-2000 border war and which called for the demarcation to be up for discussion. “Any attempts to derail the dispensation of the border demarcation from its legal course or even entertain other ‘alternative mechanisms’ suggestive of dragging behind or holding up the process will have no legal bearings or serve any other purpose than to prompt events that would set off a dangerous precedent,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.Last week, the group calling itself “Witnesses” to the 2000 Ethio-Eritrean peace talks comprising delegates from the African Union, European Union, United States, Algeria and United Nations urged the two nations to respect the terms of the deal and end the current stand-off between them.”The Witnesses urge the (border) commission to convene a meeting with the parties…to consider the need for technical discussions with the support of a neutral facilitator to assist with the process of demarcation,” the observers said.- Nampa-AFP”Any attempts to derail the dispensation of the border demarcation from its legal course or even entertain other ‘alternative mechanisms’ suggestive of dragging behind or holding up the process will have no legal bearings or serve any other purpose than to prompt events that would set off a dangerous precedent,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.Last week, the group calling itself “Witnesses” to the 2000 Ethio-Eritrean peace talks comprising delegates from the African Union, European Union, United States, Algeria and United Nations urged the two nations to respect the terms of the deal and end the current stand-off between them.”The Witnesses urge the (border) commission to convene a meeting with the parties…to consider the need for technical discussions with the support of a neutral facilitator to assist with the process of demarcation,” the observers said.- Nampa-AFP