11-8-05,9:33am
ADDIS ABABA, 8 Nov 2005 (IRIN) - The United Nations Security Council envoy Kenzo Oshima urged restraint on Monday amid reports of rising tensions between Ethiopia and Eritrea over their disputed border.
Speaking in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, at the start of a two-day tour of the two nations, Oshima said 'delicacy, skills and good judgment' were needed to try to resolve the situation.
He was visiting the region following reports of military movements on both sides of the 1,000-km frontier, over which the two nations fought a two-and-a-half-year war that ended in 2000.
Troops and military hardware including tanks and missiles have been manoeuvred closer to the Temporary Security Zone (TSZ) along the border during the past 10 days, according to the UN.
'He assured me there is no intention on the part of Ethiopia to take action first. Essentially the posture taken is defensive in nature,' Oshima explained.
Ethiopia has called for negotiations to break the stalemate, but Eritrea refuses to talk unless Ethiopia accepts the border ruling by the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission, which is part of the Hague, Netherlands-based Permanent Court of Arbitration.
'It is a matter of great concern,' the envoy told journalists. 'We hope that both governments act with restraint, refrain from any action that might further complicate the situation. In the meantime, the Security Council will continue to deliberate on how best it can assist the two countries and the situation to be addressed properly.
'In a sense there is this concern that anything such as a miscalculation might lead to a further deterioration. So that is a concern we would also like to address as quickly as practically possible,' he added.
The UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) currently has about 2,800 peacekeeping troops patrolling the TSZ, which was set up after the war.
The envoy also talked about the 'operational problems' peacekeepers have faced since Eritrea imposed a helicopter ban and restricted their movement in the zone.
'The current situation causes us concern to the extent that some of the restrictions like a ban on helicopter flights cause a very serious impediment to the work of UNMEE,' he said.
The measures have cut the UN's monitoring ability by 60 percent, escalating suspicion on both sides, the peacekeepers said. Western diplomats say Ethiopia and Eritrea both have about 300,000 troops near the buffer zone.
Oshima said he would present his observations to the Security Council, which will decide what, if any, action to take.
Earlier, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said there had been reports of 'irregular activities inside the zone,' and troop movements involving small and large military and paramilitary formations, armour as well as aerial defence assets.
He called for 'an immediate halt to any actions that may be misinterpreted by the other side or jeopardise the security arrangements which they agreed to in the Agreement on the Cessation of Hostilities of 18 June 2000', a UN statement said.
However, Eritrean presidential adviser Yemane Ghebremeskel told Reuters news agency that talk of military movements towards the border was 'irresponsible'.
On 28 October, Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki had written to the Security Council saying the UN had failed to do enough to maintain regional peace and security.
'[The UN's] unwillingness to enforce the rule of law and to ensure respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of a UN member state has compromised its credibility as well as its legal and moral authority,' Isaias said in his letter.
