UNMEE PUBLIC INFORMATION
EDITED TRANSCRIPT OF 11 JANUARY, 2002 PRESS BRIEFING
The following is an edited transcript of the press briefing of 11 January 2002, chaired in the Eritrean capital by UNMEE Spokesman and Chief of Public Information, Jean Victor Nkolo, via a videoconference linking Asmara and Addis Ababa. The briefing was conducted in the presence of Ms. Agnes Asekenye-Oonyu, Director of the Office of the UNMEE Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Lt. Col. Kamal Ahmad, Chief Military Public Information Officer.
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The situation in the Temporary Security Zone (TSZ) and its adjacent areas remains quiet and calm. The peace process is on track.
POLITICAL
On 8 January 2002, the Security Council met at informal consultations to discuss the Secretary-General’s recent progress report on Ethiopia and Eritrea. Taking the floor, several Security Council members praised UNMEE for its work on the ground, and for its persistence in trying to resolve outstanding issues.
In Addis Ababa on 4 January, the Country Director of the Norwegian Church Aid in Ethiopia Mr. Arne Saeveraas visited UNMEE Headquarters, Addis Ababa and gave an update on developments made towards maintaining dialogue between the religious leaders of Ethiopia and Eritrea. Mr. Saeveraas stated that there are positive signs from both countries towards joint meetings in Addis Ababa and Asmara on 11 and 15 February 2002, respectively, in continuation of the dialogue aimed at building confidence between the two countries.
In view of the planned meetings, the Director requested UNMEE to facilitate movements of the participants between Asmara and Addis Ababa by providing air transportation. The Norwegian Aid Country Director also reported that religious leaders from both countries were contacting their respective governments to seek their authorization.
MILITARY
The date for the 11th Military Coordination Commission (MCC) meeting is yet to be fixed. UNMEE Force Commander Major General Patrick Cammaert is sparing no effort in assisting in the resolution of the latest hitch on the venue of meeting. Hopefully it would take place soon once the two parties agree on the venue.
Earlier this week, UNMEE’s Force Commander held meetings in Assab and Dekemhare with General Haile and General Teclay, Commanders of the Eritrean Defence Forces (EDF). A wide range of issues were discussed in a cordial atmosphere.
On 7 January, Team Shilalo reported observing a bushfire that had been burning for two days. According to the Jordan Battalion platoon Commander, the inferno came from the direction of Mukuti and spread to all the areas around Sheshebit. There was no known damage to property. UNMEE peacekeepers will keep monitoring fire outbreaks.
On 6 January, the rotation of JORBAT-2 personnel, including those of the Level II Hospital started. So far two Jordanian rotations have been completed.
In Addis Ababa, Captain (Navy) Kai Varsio has replaced his fellow Finland countryman Colonel Soikkeli Seppo, as UNMEE Senior Military Liaison Officer. The latter flew home on 10 January after successfully completing his tour of duty that lasted six months.
On 5 January, UNMEE’s Force Commander awarded medals to military doctors and nurses from Jordan who have been running the Jordanian Battalion (JORBAT) Level II Hospital in Asmara over the past six months. Major General Cammaert recalled the outstanding contribution made by the Hospital staff. He thanked all them for their unwavering commitment to service. Senior officers from UNMEE Headquarters also attended the ceremony.
On 4 January, UNMEE Deputy Force Commander and Chief Military Observer Brigadier-Gen. Peter Manyara held a meeting with Brig. Gen. Abrahaley Kifle of the Eritrean Commission for Coordination with the UN peacekeeping Mission in Asmara, where a wide range of issues were discussed. At the same meeting, a letter of protest reflecting 27 incidents of restrictions on freedom of movement was handed to Brig. Gen. Abrahaley.
HUMANITARIAN
On 3 January, Team Shilalo visited a new refugee settlement at Grat Reda (Sector West) where they met with the ICRC Representative, who informed the Team that rehabilitation of water supply for the settlement was nearly 70 percent completed and therefore, the first movement of refugees from Ganahalo to Grat Reda could start by 15 January.
On 4 January, peacekeepers from the Indian Battalion (INDBAT) observed the repatriation of 87 Ethiopians from Eritrea to Ethiopia through Mereb River Bridge under the auspices of the ICRC.
MINE ACTION
The United Nations Mine Action Coordination Centre (MACC) did not close down over the festive season. However, the Eritrean mine action programme field operational activities resumed in the TSZ on 8 January 2002 after a two-week holiday stand-down period.
Chamutal Eitam, Master Mine Risk Education (MRE) Trainer, is currently in Eritrea and has already commenced work with the National Training Centre (NTC) instructors to build the MRE training capacity within the NTC. Their first task was to train schoolteachers in MRE in Gash-Barka and Debub.
Furthermore, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, the training of other school teachers that commenced on 11 December last year will continue till the end of this month. MRE courses were also conducted in Barentu and Tesseney. To date, 133 teachers from Barentu and 66 teachers from Tesseney are enrolled in the MRE courses. All teachers were selected from mines affected areas. The Eritrean Demining Agency (EDA) and Mine Awareness Trust (MAT) will help in monitoring and follow-up in schools. MAT jump-started their operation in Shambuko and Tsorena where they are training community volunteers
Questions and answers:
1. Question from Addis Ababa: Coming up to the decision of the Boundary Commission, have you noticed any changes in the troop movements or troop deployment outside of the TSZ? I also learned from a newspaper report here in Addis about a “contingency plan” in the period leading up to the decision of the Boundary Commission. Could you comment on this?
UNMEE Spokesman: On what we observe on the ground, as per our monitoring mandate, this has nothing to do per se with the Boundary Commission. So the work of the Boundary Commission, as well as their own mandate, is separate, not only from the UN, but also from our own work here in UNMEE. So whatever we say in terms of monitoring has something to do with our mandate, with our activities and with our monitoring. It has nothing to do with the Boundary Commission or the upcoming decision. What we can tell you again is that the situation in the TSZ and the adjacent areas is quiet and calm, and the peace process is on track, the monitoring is continuing. As per the contingency planning, we cannot go too much into detail, simply because this would be very speculative, and when we talk about contingency planning we should not put too much into that. This really pertains to many aspects of our work: administration, public information, military, demining and so on, because there are all kinds of activities that will have to be planned, implemented, and envisaged now, after the decision, and in the months that will follow. So it is just a matter of being prepared, being ready and planning ahead.
2. Question from Addis Ababa: Has there been any progress on the negotiations on the direct flight route between Asmara and Addis Ababa?
UNMEE Spokesman: No, there hasn’t been any change on the question of the direct route. Well, we hope that this is something that is going to be resolved, and we hope that before the decision of the Boundary Commission, a lot of positive developments can occur, because a lot of movements are going to take place between now and then. This is an issue that is still not resolved. But we hope that something will happen between now and then. I’m actually quite optimistic that we will hear positive developments soon. So far, the peace has been holding, so we are happy, the Boundary Commission has been allowed to do its work, so we just have to keep things as they are, keep being vigilant, and keep on collaborating with all parties.
3. Question from Addis Ababa: There have been problems of restrictions of movement, especially on the northern side of the TSZ. Has there been any progress this week in addressing this problem?
UNMEE Spokesman: Yes and no. There hasn’t been any progress on the question of the policy pertaining to the restriction of freedom of movement outside of the TSZ in the areas adjacent to the northern boundary. But yes, in a sense, we are now able to visit some of the Eritrean camps and so on, we have done that several times. And this is very useful. This is somehow enabling us to address that situation. But still, we would hope, and still require that unrestricted freedom of movement be given to UNMEE, in the areas adjacent to the northern boundary of the TSZ, although we have to stress that we have freedom of movement inside the TSZ itself.
4. Question from Addis Ababa: There has been some talk of areas that are “blind spots” within the TSZ, and I also understand that UNMEE was planning to visit those areas. Have you been able to do that?
UNMEE Spokesman: UNMEE has set up an operation that is called “Operation House Guest”, that allows us to go into some specific areas and installations. This is ongoing, and we are satisfied that the whole question of the “blind spots” is being addressed by our peacekeepers, and they are really working relentlessly on this front. Besides the whole question of freedom of movement, we are sparing no effort in ensuring that we find all kinds of ways and means, in full collaboration with the authorities, in order to further fulfill our monitoring task and mandate.
5. Question from Addis Ababa: What about the issue of the Eritrean militias in the Temporary Security Zone?
UNMEE Spokesman: This issue has not changed, per se. Eritrea has the right to have police and militia in its own territory, the figures on those police and militia have not been specified in the Agreements. We are still hoping that the Eritreans will provide us with the numbers and the dispositions of these police and militia. But we are monitoring the situation, and today we have handed out the protocol pertaining to that specific matter. So there are specific provisions to address this issue.
6. Question from Addis Ababa: According to my information, there seems to be some movement from the Eritrean side when it comes to the Status of Forces Agreement?
UNMEE Spokesman: Well, I have heard your question, but I cannot speculate. We will have to wait and see if that information comes to us officially. We cannot speculate for the time being. I don’t know what your sources are. When we get something formal and definitive, and when I check with the relevant units within the mission, we will come back to you on that. And we hope that there is going to be some developments on the question of the SOFA agreement. But I have to stress that on the absence of a signed Status of Forces Agreement, while we would hope and expect that this will be signed sooner or later, nevertheless the standard SOFA is being applied, and is valid. When we know something new, we will definitely come back to you on that.
UNMEE Spokesman: I would just like to thank every one of you, and also my colleagues here, starting with Asekenye-Oonyu, who is the Director of the Office of the UNMEE Special Representative of the Secretary-General, and my colleague Lt. Col. Kamal Ahmad, who is the Chief Military Public Information Officer. We also have some other UNMEE colleagues here, Mr. Wallace Devine, who is in charge of the budget here at UNMEE headquarters, Asmara. I would also recognize at the other end, my colleague Abdel Haireche, who is Senior Political Affairs Officer at UNMEE Headquarters, Addis Ababa. And thanks to all who attended there. We hope to see you next Friday.
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As requested by and promised to some journalists last week, the following documents have been distributed during the press briefing on Friday 11 January 2002:
- Agreement on Cessation of Hostilities between the State of Eritrea and the Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (18 June 2000);
- Agreement between the Government of the State of Eritrea and the Government of the federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (12 December 2000);
- Protocol Agreement between UNMEE and the Government of the State of Eritrea (on Key Tasks of UNMEE Peacekeepers within the Temporary Security Zone (TSZ), signed on 17 April 2001 by SRSG Legwaila Joseph Legwaila and CCPM Commissioner Adebrhan W. Giorgis;
- Third Report on the work of the Eritrea/Ethiopia Boundary Commission, Annex I to the Progress Report (13 December 2001) of the Secretary-General on Ethiopia and Eritrea to the Security Council (UN Document S/2001/1194).
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For additional information please contact:
Jean Victor Nkolo, Spokesman and Chief, Public Information Office
UNMEE Headquarters Addis Ababa, telephone: 251-1-443396;
or UNMEE Headquarters Asmara, telephone: 291-1-150411
or our tie-line in New York: 00-1-212-963-3779
(E-mail: [email protected])
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