Military

DATE=4/14/99
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
NUMBER=2-248055
TITLE=ETHIOPIA / ERITREA CEASEFIRE (L)
BYLINE=SCOTT STEARNS
DATELINE=ADDIS ABABA
CONTENT=
VOICED AT: 
INTRO:  ETHIOPIA SAYS IT IS POSSIBLE TO HAVE A CEASEFIRE IN THE 
WAR WITH ERITREA BEFORE ERITREAN TROOPS PHYSICALLY WITHDRAW FROM 
DISPUTED AREAS.  V-O-A'S SCOTT STEARNS REPORTS ETHIOPIA'S PRIME 
MINISTER SAYS IT IS ALL PART OF A PACKAGE DEAL FOR PEACE.
TEXT:  ONE OF THE BIGGEST PROBLEMS IN THIS BORDER WAR IS AGREEING
ON HOW TO SEPARATE THE FIGHTERS.
ERITREA WANTS A SIMULTANEOUS TROOP WITHDRAWAL SO NEITHER SIDE IS 
CAPABLE OF ATTACKING THE OTHER.  ETHIOPIA SAYS ERITREA MUST FIRST
PULL OUT OF AREAS THAT WERE ADMINISTERED BY ETHIOPIA BEFORE 
FIGHTING BEGAN LAST YEAR. 
RECOGNIZING ERITREA'S CONCERNS ABOUT THE TIMING OF A WITHDRAWAL, 
ETHIOPIAN PRIME MINISTER MELES ZENAWI SAYS IT IS NOW POSSIBLE TO 
HAVE A CEASEFIRE FIRST AS LONG AS ERITREA COMMITS ITSELF TO 
PULLING BACK.
                     ///  MELES ACT ONE  ///
         IF THE ERITREANS WERE TO SIGN ON THE DOTTED LINE OF A 
         PACKAGE THAT VERY CLEARLY INDICATED THAT THEY WOULD 
         WITHDRAW FROM OUR TERRITORIES IN A CERTAIN SPECIFIC TIME
         AS  SOON AS THEY SIGN ON THAT PACKAGE, ON THAT DOTTED 
         LINE, THERE IS A CEASEFIRE AS FAR AS WE ARE CONCERNED.
                        ///  END ACT  ///
IN AN INTERVIEW WITH V-O-A, PRIME MINISTER MELES SAID IF ERITREA 
PROMISES TO WITHDRAW, ETHIOPIA IS WILLING TO STOP FIGHTING WHILE 
TROOPS ARE STILL AT THE BORDER.
                     I//  MELES ACT TWO  ///
         WE ARE  NOT  SAYING THEY HAVE TO WITHDRAW FIRST BEFORE 
         THERE IS A CEASEFIRE.  THAT WAS  NOT  IN THE DEAL.  I 
         MEAN, THEY  CANNOT  WITHDRAW WITHOUT A CEASEFIRE.  HOW 
         DO YOU IMPLEMENT THAT?  IT'S PHYSICALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO 
         IMPLEMENT THAT.  BUT YOU HAVE A PACKAGE WHICH INCLUDES A
         CEASEFIRE, WHICH INCLUDES AN AGREEMENT ON THE PART OF 
         ERITREANS TO WITHDRAW FROM ALL OUR TERRITORIES.
                        ///  END ACT  ///
ETHIOPIA AND ERITREA HAVE BOTH ACCEPTED AN ORGANIZATION OF 
AFRICAN UNITY PLAN TO ARBITRATE THE DISPUTE.  THAT DEAL CALLS ON 
BOTH COUNTRIES TO PULL BACK THEIR TROOPS WITH INTERNATIONAL 
MONITORS CONTROLLING DISPUTED AREAS WHILE A BORDER COMMISSION 
DRAWS UP A NEW BORDER MAP.
PRIME MINISTER MELES SAYS ONCE ERITREANS AGREE TO LEAVE ETHIOPIAN
TERRITORY, THAT PLAN CAN MOVE AHEAD.
                    I//  MELES ACT THREE  ///
         THE ERITREANS HAVE TO ACCEPT THAT THEY HAVE TO WITHDRAW 
         FROM THE TERRITORIES THAT THEY OCCUPIED AFTER MAY SIXTH.
         WE NAVE ALL AGREED THAT AFTER THAT, THE BORDER ISSUE 
         WOULD BE DELINEATED AND DEMARCATED ON THE BASIS OF 
         COLONIAL TREATIES, SO THAT IS AGREED.  THAT THERE WOULD 
         BE SEPARATION OF FORCES, THAT IS AGREED.  ALL THINGS ARE
         AGREED, EXCEPT ONE.
                        ///  END ACT  ///
THAT IS A BIG "ONE."  ERITREAN PRESIDENT ISAYAS AFEWORKI SAYS 
ETHIOPIA IS THE AGGRESSOR HERE, THAT ETHIOPIA IS TRYING TO ANNEX 
ERITREAN TERRITORY BY PUSHING NORTHWEST INTO THE BADAME PLAIN. 
NOW THAT HE HAS ACCEPTED THE O-A-U PLAN, PRESIDENT ISAYSAS SAYS 
IT IS TIME THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY HELPS PUSH IT FORWARD WITH
A CEASEFIRE INSTEAD OF WAITING FOR MORE FIGHTING.
                  ///  OPT  //  ISAYAS ACT  ///
         THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY HAS A RESPONSIBILITY IN THIS
         REGARD IN MY OPINION.  WHAT EXACTLY CAN WE EXPECT FROM 
         THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY?  WE HAVE ACCEPTED THE 
         FRAMEWORK.  YOU HAVE BEEN INSISTING THAT WE ACCEPT THE 
         FRAMEWORK. THERE ARE  NO  EXCUSES NOW FOR DELAYING THE 
         IMPLEMENTATION.  WHAT EXACTLY IS THE O-A-U DOING?  THE 
         O-A-U DOES  NOT  HAVE ANY EXCUSE TO DELAY. 
                        ///  END ACT  ///
///  OPT  ///   PRESIDENT ISAYAS SAYS HE HAS COMPLIED WITH THE 
O-A-U FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT BY WITHDRAWING FROM THE BORDER TOWN OF 
BADAME.
///  OPT  //   PRIME MINISTER MELES SAYS ERITREANS DID  NOT  
LEAVE BADAME, THEY WERE FORCED OUT, AND THAT IS  NOT  ENOUGH.  HE
SAYS ERTIREANS MUST AGREE TO QUIT ALL OCCUPIED TERRITORIES, 
INCLUDING AREAS HUNDREDS OF KILOMETERS FARTHER EAST, BEFORE THE 
FIGHTING STOPS.
///  OPT  ///   PRIME MINISTER MELES SAYS HE WILL AGREE TO A 
CEASEFIRE THAT ALLOWS ERITREA TO KEEP A PROMISE.  HE WILL  NOT  
AGREE TO A CEASEFIRE THAT GIVES ERITREA TIME TO MAKE ANOTHER 
DEAL.
                ///  OPT  //  MELES ACT FOUR  ///
         WHAT WE HAVE SAID  NO  TO IS A CEASEFIRE BEFORE THERE IS
         A PACKAGE DEAL.  A CEASEFIRE IN THE CONTEXT OF A PACKAGE
         DEAL HAS ALWAYS BEEN PART OF THE PACKAGE FROM DAY ONE.  
         THE NEW PROPOSAL OF CEASEFIRE THAT IS COMING FROM SOME 
         QUARTERS IS, THEY ARE SAYING, O-K, YOU HAVE  NOT  
         RESOLVED THE ISSUE. YOU NEED TO SIT AND TALK. FOR THAT 
         TO HAPPEN YOU NEED TO HAVE A CEASEFIRE.  THAT IS WHAT WE
         DO  NOT  ACCEPT. 
                  ///  END ACT //  END OPT  ///
MILITARY OBSERVERS ESTIMATE AT LEAST 40-THOUSAND PEOPLE HAVE DIED
IN THE PAST YEAR OF FIGHTING.  MORE THAN 300-THOUSAND TROOPS ARE 
DUG-IN ALONG THE ROCKY BORDER, MOST NOW MASSED AROUND THE BORDER 
TOWN OF BADAME.  (SIGNED)
NEB/SKS/JWH/PLM
14-Apr-99 5:47 AM EDT (0947 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America
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