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UN mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea reports situation as tense

1 November 2005 – Less than a week after Secretary-General Kofi Annan warned that a serious deterioration between Ethiopia and Eritrea could lead to "another round of devastating hostilities," the United Nations mission monitoring a ceasefire between the two countries reported today that the situation on the ground is tense.

The UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) said restrictions on its freedom of movement were continuing in both the central and western sectors on the Eritrean side following the ban imposed by the Asmara Government on UN helicopters.

Night movement of patrols is also being curtailed, seriously limiting the mission's ability to monitor the remaining 40 per cent of the Temporary Security Zone and adjacent areas, UNMEE said.

Last week, Mr. Annan called on the Security Council to ensure that the Eritrean restrictions are lifted. At the same time he urged the 15-member body to address the underlying causes of the stalemate in the peace process between the two countries, which fought a fierce border war from 1988 to 2000, including Ethiopia's opposition to significant parts of the agreed Boundary Commission's binding demarcation decisions.

He said the helicopter ban severely hampered UNMEE's ability to monitor the ceasefire, forcing the evacuation of 18 of 40 locations that had become no longer operationally viable.