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UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

ERITREA-ETHIOPIA: AU commission report still awaited

ADDIS ABABA, 28 July 2003 (IRIN) - An African Union commission, set up under the Ethiopia-Eritrea peace deal to establish the origins of the war, has yet to get off the ground, the AU has admitted.

Said Djinnit, who heads the AU’s Peace and Security Council, said the report had not been compiled because it was "not conducive” to the peace process at the time. He did not rule out the report being compiled at a later date.

“Every peace process has its own dynamics,” Djinnit said at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa on Friday. “When we started we were faced with more serious difficulties and that issue was not pursued.”

His remarks come at a critical juncture of the peace agreement between both countries as they prepare for the impending demarcation of the contested border following their 1998-2000 border war.

Three commissions were set up under the Algiers Peace Agreement signed in December 2000 by Ethiopia and Eritrea.

The Boundary Commission, setting up an internationally recognised border and the Claims Commission that will establish liability due to the war, are both underway.

Djinnit also told journalists that more support was needed from the international community to help stamp out conflicts on the African continent.

The Peace and Security Council is seen as one of the key developments in the newly-formed AU.

It includes the establishment of an African standby force – made up of five regional brigades that can be deployed for observation, peacekeeping and intervention.

“Africa is ready to deploy peacekeeping forces even in situations of risk because the UN is not in position to deploy," Djinnit said.

“We send troops, we stand to take risks for the people of Africa - that is the determination of the African people, but we need the support of our partners,” he stressed.

Themes: (IRIN) Conflict

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