DATE=6/6/2000
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=ETHIOPIA / ERITREA / L
NUMBER=2-263204
BYLINE=SCOTT STEARNS
DATELINE=NAIROBI
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: Eritrea says it has scored a major victory in
its border war with Ethiopia. As V-O-A's Scott Stearns
reports, it is the heaviest fighting since Ethiopia
said the war was over, a week ago.
TEXT: Eritrea says is has recaptured Tessanie, near
Sudan, driving thousands of Ethiopian troops back
south toward their border. An Eritrean Foreign Office
statement said the battle began Monday when Ethiopian
troops in Tessanie fanned out to loot neighboring
villages. A spokesman said the all-day battle was a
major defeat for Ethiopia, pushing some 15 thousand
Ethiopians farther out of Eritrea.
Ethiopia says it was provoked at Tessanie; that
Eritrea attacked Ethiopian troops which were already
withdrawing from western Eritrea. Ethiopia began that
withdrawal last week, saying the war was over because
Ethiopia had regained ground taken by Eritrea at the
start of the conflict two years ago.
The withdrawal has resulted in an upsurge of fighting
in the border war. Ethiopia and Eritrea exchanged
artillery fire across the southern Bure front Monday.
Eritrea withdrew from contested areas along that
border near Djibouti. Ethiopian troops who regained
the ground say they are now being attacked from
Eritreans across the border.
Ethiopia says it is continuing to withdraw from most
of Eritrea. But Prime Minister Meles Zenawi says he
will not leave all of the country until international
troops are ready to take over. He says Ethiopia must
have international guarantees Eritrea will not attack
again. He wants an international peace force to
control strategic areas inside Eritrea that could be
used to attack Ethiopia. He says, until that happens,
Ethiopian troops will stay.
Eritrea says there is no chance for a cease-fire until
Ethiopia withdraws from all undisputed Eritrean
territory, returning to the pre-war border as Eritrea
has. That is the challenge for Organization of African
Unity mediators in Algeria -- coming up with a cease-
fire that both protects Ethiopian security and
respects Eritrean sovereignty.
Eritrea says it is driving back an Ethiopian invasion.
Ethiopia says its withdrawal shows it has no interest
in occupying Eritrea. Ethiopia says it is now out of
Tessanie because it pulled out. Eritrea says it
"liberated" the town in heavy fighting. However
Tessanie changed hands, Eritrea again controls all of
the biggest towns in its western lowlands for the
first time since Ethiopia's offensive began four weeks
ago. (SIGNED)
NEB / SS / WD
06-Jun-2000 03:57 AM EDT (06-Jun-2000 0757 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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