Asmara — TEMPORARY SECURITY ZONE (TSZ) : The situation in the TSZ remains calm, which in turn, ensures stability for the peace process. The continued allegations pertaining to the alleged presence of Ethiopian soldiers in the TSZ have been thoroughly investigated by UNMEE. UNMEE has checked the area several times from the air and on the ground. The last checks were done yesterday. UNMEE has found no Ethiopian Armed Forces troops in the TSZ. As recently stated by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG), Mr. Legwaila Joseph Legwaila, the chances of a resumption of hostilities between Ethiopia and Eritrea are almost nil at the moment. Notwithstanding, UNMEE will continue to be vigilant. Every time there is a reported violation of the Agreement on the Cessation of Hostilities, the matter is brought to the attention of the authorities concerned. UNMEE would not hesitate to report on any violation of the Protocol Agreement.

There are between 100 and 300 unidentified bodies in the TSZ that neither side claims. It is very difficult to ascertain the exact number of these bodies as the areas are heavily mined.

SECURITY COUNCIL

SRSG Mr. Legwaila Joseph Legwaila, will leave Asmara on 5 September for New York. On 12 September, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Kofi Annan will submit his report to the Security Council, pursuant to resolution 1344 (2001) of 15 March, which extended the mandate of the United Nations Mission to Ethiopia and Eritrea until 15 September. The Secretary-General last submitted a report to the Security Council on 19 June 2001.

MILITARY COORDINATION

Major-General Chitra B. Gurung of Nepal, Deputy Military Adviser to the UN Secretary-General, based in New York, arrived in the Mission area for an official visit on Tuesday, 28 August. The following day he met with the Special Representative, Deputy SRSG Mr. Ian Martin, the Force Commander and the Deputy Force Commander. He later received briefings on UNMEE's operations.

POSSIBLE MISCONDUCT

UNMEE has learned of allegations of possible serious misconduct by a former member of the Italian Contingent. The name of the said peacekeeper has not been made available to UNMEE. The allegations were reported last week in the Italian Press. A military prosecutor in Italy as well as the Italian Ministry of Defence are said to be investigating the accusations that the former UNMEE member allegedly had sex with underage girls while serving in the Mission area. These allegations had not been previously reported to the Mission. The Italian peacekeeper allegedly involved in these accusations has already been routinely rotated and replaced. UNMEE released a statement on Monday 27 August saying that the Mission has zero tolerance towards such acts and will do its utmost to quickly and thoroughly establish the facts of the case. UNMEE strives to respect the laws, culture, traditions, and customs of both Ethiopia and Eritrea. We are taking these allegations very seriously and are investigating. Notwithstanding, UNMEE still hopes that official information will be made available by the Italian Government.

Once the information has been gathered and assessed, SRSG Mr. Legwaila Joseph Legwaila, will determine the appropriate measures to be taken. Let me reiterate that all UN peacekeepers are bound by a Code of Conduct, which says that they should not indulge in immoral acts of sexual, physical or psychological abuse or exploitation of the local population, especially women and children.

HUMANITARIAN

Mr. Ian Martin, UNMEE Deputy SRSG in Asmara, and Mr. Simon Nhongo, UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Eritrea, undertook a joint mission to western Eritrea yesterday, 30 August. Joining the trip were H.E. Mr. Abraha Asfaha, Minister of Public Works, Mr. Kidane Tsighe, Director General, Ministry of Local Government, Mr. Teklemichael W/Ghiorghis, Deputy Commissioner, Eritrea Relief and Refugee Commission and Mr. Fred Ogwal-Oyee, UNICEF Emergency Coordinator. The joint mission visited Om Hajer where Mr. Martin presided over the opening of the first stage of the rehabilitation of the Om Hajer water supply system. This first phase was funded through an UNMEE Quick Impact Project and implemented by UNICEF. In the coming months, UNICEF will continue to work on other aspects of the Om Hajer water system including the rehabilitation of the borehole and a water treatment plant. In his remarks at the opening ceremony, Mr. Martin said that although this was just one part of the Om Hajer water system, it was an important step towards providing the necessary infrastructure for the displaced people to return home.

After the opening ceremony the mission split for separate field visits and then re-joined for a visit to Tserona town in the Central Sector where UNDP, with funding from the Netherlands Government, is undertaken a reconstruction program for 2,000 homes damaged during the conflict. This program involves the provision of iron roofing sheets and roof frames and to date about 800 homes have been completed. A similar program for the rehabilitation of 1,000 houses in Senafe town is also planned.

HUMAN RIGHTS

On 21 August, the Chief of UNMEE Human Rights Office had a first meeting with Mr. Behane, President of the Eritrean non-governmental organization HABEN. Mr. Behane indicated his interest in regular exchange of information with the UNMEE Human Rights Office and in exploring possible ways of co-operation, in particular with regard to the human rights situation of displaced persons, split families, and the situation of Eritreans in Ethiopian-administered areas in the vicinity of the southern boundary of the TSZ.

MINE ACTION

The UNMEE Mine Action Coordination Centre (MACC) has received reports of an unconfirmed fatal mine accident. The incident occurred in the Adi Keyh area. An Eritrean Demining Agency mine awareness team is conducting an investigation to verify the incident. We will provide more details to you as they become available.

Eight Jordanian soldiers, injured when their water truck hit an anti-tank mine on 18 August, have been released from the hospital and have returned to their duty stations. A Slovak demining unit is re-proving the road where the incident occurred. UNMEE's Mine Action Coordination Center (MACC) sent a special investigation team to investigate the incident. The team included a mine clearance quality assurance officer and an explosive ordnance disposal expert. The team is expected to finish its investigation today. So far, investigators have determined that the mine was buried at a depth of 30-40 cm. Due to the nature of the road surface and the period of the route clearance, the mine was not discovered by the mine clearance roller. The mine was identified through the analysis of the crater as a round anti-tank mine, possibly a TM46. In addition, force engineers are carrying out their own internal investigation. A review of possible route clearance improvements is underway and consideration to other technologies is being considered. As soon as we have the comprehensive results of the investigation, we will provide you with the details.

As we told you last week, the UN Mine Action Coordination Committee (MACC) sponsored a Mine Awareness Workshop for Eritrea last Thursday and Friday. The workshop was well attended by 30 people from NGO, UN agencies and Eritrean government offices. The event was also attended by the media and broadcast on local TV.

Twenty-six personnel from Eritrean Demining Agency, HALO Trust and other agencies graduated from a five-day mine awareness facilitator course conducted by Danish Church Aid at UNMEE MACC. All trainees were members of existing teams and were cross-trained to provide greater integrated capacity to survey and EOD teams in the field.

A member of the delegation from UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS), based in New York, traveled to Addis Ababa Wednesday. The delegation, consisting of Ms Eveline Viehboeck, Mine Awareness Focal Point, and Ms. Akiko Ikeda, Landmine Victim Assistance Focal Point, arrived last week in Asmara. They are in the process of completing their assessments and will start developing a Mine Awareness and Mine Victim Support strategy for the Mission.

FROM THE FIELD

On 28 August, the SRSG accompanied by UNMEE Chief of Staff, visited Adi Teclay, Deda Lalay, Om Hajer and Shambiko in Sector West, where he was briefed on the current operational, security, humanitarian and political situation at each location. The SRSG also toured the forward locations in Shambiko and Om Hajer where he met with religious leaders, the local authorities, militia and police and villagers. In Shambiko, Mr. Legwaila Joseph Legwaila was welcomed by chanting and dancing groups made of several Eritrean nationalities.

Another road accident occurred on 18 August involving two Bangladeshi soldiers along the Shambiko road 2 km from the Bangladeshi De-mining Company base camp in Barentu. The soldiers sustained injuries after their vehicle skidded off the road and flipped twice. The soldiers were medevaced to the Level II hospital in Asmara where they were treated for their injuries. One soldier was later transferred to a Level IV hospital in Jeddah due to his serious condition. He was operated this week and is reported to be in a stable condition.