A near verbatim transcript of the press briefing held by the Deputy Chief Public Information Office/Deputy Spokesperson, Musi Khumalo, in Addis Ababa, via videoconference linking participants in Asmara and Addis Ababa. Present at the briefing in Addis Ababa was the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Legwaila Joseph Legwaila. Present at the briefing in Asmara was the Force Commander, Major General Rajender Singh and his designate Major General Moh'd Taisir Masadeh.

PRESS BRIEFING NOTES

POLITICAL

On 5 April, the Special Representative of the Secretary General (SRSG), Legwaila Joseph Legwaila, met with Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, with whom he exchanged views on the peace process and bade him farewell as his tour of duty comes to an end.

On 4 April, the SRSG addressed UNMEE staff members at a Town Hall meeting in Addis Ababa, at which he briefed them on current developments in the peace process.

On 3 April, in Asmara, Force Commander Major General Rajender Singh and Principal Political Affairs Officer Leandre Bassole met with Mr. Donald Yamamoto, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, with whom he exchanged views on the current situation in the Mission and the way forward. On the same day, in Addis Ababa, Deputy SRSG (DSRSG) Azouz Ennifar met with Mr. Yoshiaki Makino, Officer-in-Charge of the UN PKO/United Nations Policy Division/Foreign Policy Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, who was visiting Ethiopia. They exchanged views on current developments in the peace process.

On 31 March, SRSG Legwaila met with President Isaias Afwerki, with whom he exchanged views on the peace process and bade him farewell as he concludes his tour of duty.

On 30 March, DSRSG Ennifar met the US delegation led by Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Mr. Donald Yamamoto, with whom he exchanged views on the peace process.

On 28 March, SRSG Legwaila held a Town Hall meeting in Asmara, during which he updated the staff on developments in the peace process.

MILITARY

The military situation in the Temporary Security Zone (TSZ) and Adjacent Areas remains tense. Routine troop movements have been noticed on both the Ethiopian and the Eritrean sides of the border.  The ban imposed by the Eritrean Government on UNMEE helicopters is still in place. Restrictions on the movement of UNMEE patrols inside the TSZ in Sector Centre and Sector West are continuing?i.e., land vehicle movements in certain areas and at night have been curtailed. Monitoring of the TSZ and adjacent areas within the limitations imposed continued from existing posts. UNMEE conducted 738 ground patrols throughout the Area of Responsibility (AOR) where UNMEE is still able to operate in the past week.

In all Sectors, UNMEE peacekeepers continued to provide medical assistance to the local population, along with supplies of bulk water to civilian communities in the TSZ and the Adjacent Areas. Approximately 32,100 litres of water was supplied to the civilian communities during the past week.

Mine Action

The Kenyan Demining Company (KENDEM) cleared an area of approximately 30,564 square meters near Badme.

Evacuation of Patient

On 1 April, a seriously ill newborn baby was evacuated by the Indian Battallion (INDBATT) from the border area of Gerni Seba to Engela in the Adjacent Area.

Meeting at HQ Northern Operational  Command

The UNMEE Force Liaison Officer Mekelle met with the Deputy Commander of the Ethiopian Northern Operational Command. The Deputy Commander expressed appreciation of the good work being done by the Contingents and UN Military Observers (UNMOs).

Visit

The Ambassador of the Netherlands in Ethiopia visited the UNMEE Central Sector Headquarters in Adigrat. He was briefed on operational and humanitarian activities being carried out by the Troops and UNMOs in the sector. The Ambassador appreciated the good work being done by the contingents and UNMOs.

MACC

The Mine Action Coordinator Centre (MACC) deployed Mine Risk Education (MRE) Field Teams to communities in the sub-Zoba of Shambiko in the Gash Barka Zoba in Sector West, and to the May Wuray Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp in the sub-Zoba of Tsorena in the Debub Zoba of Sector Centre.

MECHEM's Integrated Demining Capacity (IDC) Team commenced integrated demining operations together with the Kenyan demining company in Sector West. They cleared an area of  73,762 square meters.

On 4th April, in cooperation with the Eritrean Demining Authority (EDA), the UNMEE MACC commemorated the "International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action" with a mine risk education and general mine action awareness display at the EXPO grounds in Asmara.

Questions and Answers

Force Commander: Ladies and gentlemen of the press, I think all things must come to an end sometime, and now the time has come for me to say goodbye. I will be leaving this Mission shortly and I would be handing over command of the United Nations Peacekeeping Forces in Ethiopia and Eritrea to my dear friend from the great nation of Jordan, Major General Mohammed Taisir, who is here with me. He is a cavalry officer of the great Army of Jordan, which has a very large Contingent [in UNMEE], and he has held a number of distinguished appointments [in the span of his] distinguished [military] career. Not only has he commanded a Brigade or a division or a unit, he has also been responsible for establishing a peacekeeping institute in his own country. He was also part of the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in the former Yugoslavia. This Mission is indeed very fortunate to have a professional like him coming in to replace me at a very critical time. There is never a dearth of challenge in this kind of environment, and I am sure that he will not only fully meet those challenges squarely, but he would also be able to bring an additional amount of stability and peace inside the TSZ [Temporary Security Zone].

Before I ask him to say a few words, I would like to make small remarks regarding the time I have spent here. It has been a matter of great privilege and honour for me to be here. From here, I will be going to New York on the 9th of April, [a day] after handing over command to General Taisir. [Then] I will be returning to Delhi [to take on] some new assignment. For me, this [UNMEE assignment] has been a pilgrimage. For a soldier, there is nothing better than to be given an opportunity to be a soldier of peace. As you must have heard a number of times, there is nobody who hates war more than a soldier because we know the kind of devastation that war brings not only to the armies but also to the people of the countries [involved]; therefore, for all the peacekeepers of 42 countries here, it has been a great experience. There has never been a dearth of challenges here. We have tried to do our best to ensure that peace and stability prevail inside the TSZ and on the border areas and I would like to think that we have not done a bad job.

I would also like to take this opportunity to pay special tribute to all the troop contributing countries who have contributed to the cause of peace here in this region. I will leave a very satisfied man for a number of reasons. First and foremost, I see a bright light at the end of the tunnel; not only because [of] political and other developments, but also because I know these are two great nations of Africa. They are both multi-ethnic and multi-cultural. Ethiopia is a very large country on the path of development and when you meet its people, you see a tremendous desire to excel. As far as Eritrea is concerned, [it is] a young nation with a strategic location and tremendous manpower resources, and which can boast of an excellent war that it has fought for its freedom--30 years of war--the history of which will be learnt for the next hundred to two hundred years by all the armies in the world. But I think the greatest thing which gives us hope is the total absence of hatred that I have observed whenever I travelled close to the border on both sides. Both Ethiopians and Eritreans, I have found, have [a high] regard for each other and that, I am sure, is going to lead to a kind of a situation where a lasting peace will [prevail]. With this hope, being a Commander of the peacekeeping forces [here] has been a great experience for me.

I am sure my successor will have an equally challenging and exciting task. We are passing through very defining moments when a number of things are taking place. I can only hope and pray that good results will come out of this [in the end].

As far as the [military] situation [in the Mission area] is concerned, ladies and gentlemen, the situation is fairly stable. Hardly any violent incidents have taken place. The mechanism of Military Coordination Commission [MCC] and Sector-level MCC is continuing. [So, the] military situation is tense because of the uncertainty of the peace process, but otherwise, it is fairly good in terms of stability. General Mohammed Taisir Masadeh will now give you his opening remarks.

Maj. Gen. Mohammed: For myself, it is a great honour and pleasure to be nominated and selected as UNMEE Force Commander despite the fact that I have never been in these good countries but I was following the whole issue from my previous position. As the General [Rajender Singh] mentioned, I have some good experience in the UN Missions. I spent almost more than 15 months in the UNPROFOR as Deputy Chief for Operations and as the Military Assistant to the first Force Commander. We started that Mission from New York and established [the] Headquarters [ourselves]. The first one in Sarajevo started from a hotel. So, it was a big challenge and gave me some good experience. For this [briefing, all I can say is that] I do hope I can follow up what my excellent colleague and his staff have done so far and I promise him and you all that I myself and my staff and the Commanders on the ground, will do our best to achieve the goals of the Mission. In cooperation with everybody, we do hope as well to bring security and peace in this region. So I am optimistic and I do hope that we will do the job together to bring peace and security [to the Mission area]. Thank you.

Question [Asmara]: What do you think are the challenges [you're passing on] to the new Force Commander?

Force Commander: I think the greatest challenge for the new Force Commander is to ensure that the military situation remains peaceful and stable and we are able to provide the political space for the final and lasting solution to the problem.

Question [Addis]: Militarily, what do you think were the major achievements and setbacks you have [had] while you were Force Commander of UNMEE?

Force Commander: I think this is a very good question. First and foremost, I think our greatest achievement has been that we have been able to fulfill our task to a very large degree. As the SRSG [Legwaila] has mentioned a number of times, UNMEE was sent here to create conditions--to separate the forces [of the two countries], to create and mann a buffer zone (TSZ), and create conditions for demarcation. We have been able to achieve all of these things: the conditions are excellent for demarcation; the forces [of the two countries] are separate; and there is a buffer zone in place--the sanctity of which is by and large alright and if tomorrow there is an agreement that the demarcation can start, there will no problem. This, I think, is our greatest achievement.

Our greatest achievement also lies in the fact that we have been able to help our brothers and sisters from both sides realise the importance of peace and of bringing peace into the region. So we have been able to create that peace constituency on both sides of the border and create that [clamour] for peace on both sides. We have been able to achieve [this] by undertaking a number of goodwill measures. My Contingents, the Jordanian Battalion, the Indian Battalion, the Kenyan Contingents, the Bangladeshi Contingents--all of them have toiled day in and day out to provide medical aid to the needy people on both sides: we have organised a number of veterinary camps and created nearly six to seven check dams. We have also dug a number of wells to provide a certain amount of water to the needy. A number of vocational classes like computer classes, mechanics, carpentry, etc., have been conducted by our Contingents. This was intended to convey to everybody that UNMEE cares, the peacekeepers care, and I think we have succeeded in this regard to a large degree.

Question [Asmara]: Maj. Gen. Singh, at one point you have said that the situation is ?fairly stable'?does that mean there has been a change or so?

Force Commander: I also mentioned, as I have many times before, that the situation continues to remain tense as far as the political situation is concerned, but we have a ?fairly stable' military situation because of the absence of violent incidents. We have also been seeing more cooperation for quite sometime. Obviously, of course, [the situation] can change tomorrow. I do not want to convey the feeling that the situation is excellent; it is not.

Question [Addis]: Military careers and outputs can be told from a personal performance, so can you tell us the happiest and saddest moments of your career here in UNMEE?

Force Commander: My happiest moment was when I arrived here and my saddest moment is when I am going back [home] with demarcation not fully complete. I would like to mention that this Mission has been quite lucky for me. I have been approved for  promotion to the next rank--a large part of the credit for which goes also to those 42 troop contributing countries and their soldiers?and, of course, that gave me a  certain amount of joy.

[Note: SRSG arrives at this point. Major General Singh introduces Force Commander-designate to SRSG, who in turn welcomed the latter.]

DCPIO: I think at this point we are going to invite the SRSG to say a few remarks before we start inviting any questions.

SRSG:  Thank you very much, Musi. I know that there are some pressmen who always wondered why we were changing Force Commanders and there was no change of SRSG. And I am sure those pressmen and presswomen will be very happy today to hear that I am leaving. I wish you the very best while I am away and I hope that you will treat my successor and my Deputy, who is remaining, well. I hope that you are going to treat him with the kindness that you treated me for five and a half years at the end of this month. I have enjoyed working with all of you.

I leave Ethiopia and Eritrea the way I found them in 2000. But I can assure you there are no regrets in so far as I am concerned. I was sent here with a team of dedicated peacekeepers to do a particular thing, and that was to discharge a mandate specifically designed to create conditions conducive to the accomplishment of the final phase of the process: the demarcation of the border. If you need reminding, the demarcation of the border is not and was never the responsibility of UNMEE.  I must emphasise this because even some well informed people sometimes make the mistake of thinking that UNMEE is here to plant pillars on the border.  UNMEE is here to facilitate the planting of pillars on the border by somebody else--the [Ethiopia Eritrea] Boundary Commission.  And the Boundary Commission doesn't even reside in Ethiopia or Eritrea.  It resides in The Hague, in The Netherlands.  And it is not controlled by the Special Representative of the Secretary General or the Security Council.  It controls itself. It is that body and the two Parties?Ethiopia and Eritrea, who, to date, as I leave, have not demarcated the border.  Please don't accuse UNMEE of not having done something. It is not for UNMEE, but for the Boundary Commission and the Parties ? Ethiopia and Eritrea?to do [demarcate the border].

As far as our mandate is concerned, it is very clear. We were to separate the forces of the two sides, which we did in 2001 April.  Once [the forces of the two sides were separated,] we were to monitor the places where they are redeployed, and to continue to monitor the Temporary Security Zone to protect its integrity?that is, to make sure that it continues to be completely demilitarised. We did that job despite the restriction imposed on us.  We have been able to accomplish our mandate.  But unfortunately, our mandate is coterminous with the mandate of the Boundary Commission.  In other words, we only leave when the last pillar on the border is planted. The last pillar has not been planted; let alone the first one. And all these pillars are not supposed to be planted by UNMEE but by the Boundary Commission.

So, you can say the process or UNMEE has failed, but make sure you say UNMEE has failed to witness the planting of the pillar.  I leave with sadness that the border has not been demarcated, but with pride that I have led this Mission for five and a half years even under difficult circumstances and that I was able to implement the mandate entrusted to me and my colleagues by the Security Council. I will always be proud of that, but not of the fact that Ethiopia and Eritrea are exactly where they were when I came here. The only difference is that we were able to create the Temporary Security Zone and the majority of the people were able to abandon the wretched IDP [Internally Displaced Persons] camps and have gone home to their villages. Those who had to go back to villages razed down by the war have rebuilt their villages.  But you still have a lot of people, thousands [of them], languishing in IDP camps.  That saddens me because people shouldn't live like that.  You have to go to some of these IDP camps and your heart will bleed for these poor people who are still living in misery and squalor simply because the war has not ended yet--there is only a pause, and I hope this is a pause which will not be [broken by] another war. But the fact is that as long as the border is not demarcated, we will continue to languish in this transitional phase-- from a real hot state of war to peace.

But hope springs eternal in my breast.  I still hope that Ethiopia and Eritrea will finally rediscover the courage, which moved them to sign the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement on the 18th of June 2000, and the Peace Agreement on the 12th of December 2000 and that the two countries will "follow through," with the implementation of the Agreements they signed in Algiers.  So that Ethiopians and Eritreans can again visit each other, so that diplomatic missions between the two countries can be re-established, so that the leaders of these two wonderful countries can pay state visits to each other.  Even if this happens in my absence, I can assure you this could be enough consolation for a peacekeeper.  Thank you very much.

Question [Addis]:  My question is [about] the monetary value of the peacekeeping Mission; can you tell us the monetary value of the Mission throughout the past 5 ? 6 years?

SRSG:   You know, I saw two translations of [a newspaper report of] what I am supposed to have said to President  Isaias, which is such an incredible falsehood, because I never said UNMEE has cost 5 billion US dollars. I said UNMEE has cost more than 1 billion US dollars. More than 1 billion dollars. When we came here, UNMEE was costing the United Nations 2 hundred million dollars [per year]. If you multiply 200 million dollars by 5, it is 1 billion. And since we are in the sixth year, then it is more that one billion. So that's all I said. So, I saw in an Amharic newspaper [The Reporter] things which I never said. It's incredible. Actually, I wanted to see the Editor of the newspaper, so that I can say to his parent company that they better go look for another journalist. You know, The Eritrean Profile produced an authentic [report], of what I said. And then The Reporter came up with its own story from [out of] the blue. I must protest because I do not think this is how reporters can endear themselves to the people they are interviewing.

Question [from Asmara]: SRSG, after the Boundary Commission meeting that took place in London last month, the United Nations put out a statement that says demarcation is going to resume; and on the other hand, you have mentioned that demarcation is not in fact the responsibility of the United Nations?so, I am wondering why did the UN put out that statement and secondly what is the state of demarcation now? Has it started or is it imminent?

SRSG: I have to correct you. The United Nations never said the demarcation was going to resume. All the Secretary-General's statement said was that in London, he was told by the President of the Boundary Commission that [the Parties] had agreed to arrangements for resumption of demarcation. That is the correct statement from the Secretary-General, [as delivered by his Spokesperson]. [The statement] doesn't say the United Nations is either going to demarcate the border or that the border is going to be demarcated--only that the Parties had agreed to the arrangements for the resumption of the demarcation of the border. And that statement was based on the report from the President of the Boundary Commission.

As for the state of demarcation, I think that you should ask the Boundary Commission and the Parties instead.

Question [Asmara]: Is it true that you were also in London, SRSG, at the meeting?

SRSG: Yes, I was in London. I was in London on the 10th [of March] and I will be [in London] on the 28th [of April].

Question [Addis]: You've been talking with the Deputy Secretary of State for African Affairs of the United States, Mr. Donald Yamamato. What was the point of the discussion? And the second point is, America is trying to mediate the Ethio-Eritrean border conflict; can you tell us what was the agenda? What was the stand of the American Government in mediating the border dispute?

SRSG: Well, first of all, I didn't meet Yamamoto. He came here [in Addis Ababa] and then he went to Asmara on Sunday, and I left very early in the morning on Monday. As for the American initiative, I think you can get the best information from the Americans because, [as UNMEE SRSG,] I am not running the American initiative.

Question [Addis]: They are not talking about it.

SRSG: If they won't talk about it, then I can't talk about it. Why should I talk about it if they don't talk about it themselves?

Question: I believe you can talk about it because you are the Ambassador of the Special Mission. And what is the difference between the American Mission and UNMEE? That's what we want to know.

SRSG: The difference between the American initiative and UNMEE is that UNMEE is UNMEE, the Americans are the Americans.

Question [Addis]: Are they going to represent UNMEE?

SRSG: No, they are not representing UNMEE.

Question [Addis]: Are they going to assist UNMEE?

SRSG: They are not assisting UNMEE.

Q [from Addis]: So what is the relationship [between the two]? Would you mind telling us that?

SRSG: They are assisting the Parties, not UNMEE.

Question [Asmara]:  Can we know exactly, SRSG, when you are leaving, when your successor will be named, and what you recommend for the future of UNMEE? Do you recommend on the 15th of April that the mandate should be extended? And is it your feeling that the mandate should be extended until the last pillar is put in?

SRSG: Well, to be honest, I don't know who my successor would be. That is the prerogative of the Secretary General. As to the second question?you know, to be honest, as long as the last pillar is not planted, I hope that the United Nations will continue to assist Ethiopia and Eritrea to solve this problem. And I don't think it would be morally right to abandon them to their own devices. And I think the international community must redouble its efforts to try to break the stalemate. And the stalemate has to be broken if you have to save these countries from another war. You have to break the stalemate, the border has to be demarcated--because that is the only way you can have peace between these two countries and peace in the Horn of Africa.

Question [Addis]: My question is, I have heard you saying that UNMEE has been discharging its responsibilities despite the restrictions. I would like to know what type of restrictions you are referring to and from which side?

SRSG: Well, throughout the history of UNMEE, we have had restrictions [imposed on us]--sometimes from this side; sometimes, from the other side. What we are having now are restrictions from the other side and these are public knowledge. The Spokesperson of UNMEE has answered a lot of questions about these restrictions. You know that our helicopters have been grounded by the Eritreans. You know that the Eritreans have expelled some of our colleagues from Eritrea and they are here in Addis Ababa. You know we have said that we also have restrictions in the Temporary Security Zone imposed by the Eritreans. This is public knowledge.

Question [Asmara]: You have said that UNMEE's role is to facilitate, and not to assist, the EEBC's ways of handling the demarcation. How exactly did UNMEE play its role in facilitating [border demarcation] during your five and half years of stay here as the SRSG?

SRSG: What I meant by "facilitating the demarcation of the border" is reflected in two Resolutions of the Security Council--Resolution 1430 and Resolution 1466. The areas in which we are supposed to facilitate, in other words, to help the Boundary Commission demarcate the border, is that we give them offices and indeed they have offices in Asmara in our Green building, as well as in Addis Ababa and also in Adigrat. We also gave them vehicles to travel to the border to prepare the border for demarcation. And in addition to that, we have to give them two helicopters--of course, as UNMEE's helicopters are no longer allowed to fly, even if the [EEBC] were to start [demarcation] now, they will not have the helicopters. The fourth thing is, the Security Council agreed that when they start demarcating the border, Eritrea and Ethiopia will provide security for the demarcators and that UNMEE will monitor the provision of security [by the Parties] for the demarcators. The fifth thing is, once they have identified the places where they are going to plant their pillars, then they call us to demine the 50 by 50 places where they are going to plant the pillars and the access roads to these places. So those are the areas in which we are mandated by the Security Council, at the request of the Boundary Commission, to help in demarcating the border.

Question [Asmara]: Considering your stay was not as successful as intended, what would you have done differently during your mission?

SRSG: No, there is nothing I would have done differently because my stay has been successful for UNMEE and what has not been successful is the work of the Boundary Commission. I must say, even with all the restrictions that are imposed on UNMEE, our work has been done. The only reason why we are still here, as UNMEE, is because we are waiting for the last pillar to be planted. Otherwise we could have left after creating the Temporary Security Zone. And we are not responsible for the stalemate. As you know, we have absolutely nothing to do with the fact that the border has not been demarcated.

Force Commander, Maj. Gen Rajender Singh: I would like to add to what the SRSG has said. Our troops, despite all the problems and the challenges, have in fact been able to make qualitative differences--not only in the lives of the people residing on two sides [of the border]--we have met these challenges squarely, as the SRSG has said. A better success than what we have had as far as UNMEE's job is concerned [is hard to imagine].

Question [Addis]: One question I never had the chance to ask you is:  when Eritrea decided to ban the flights of the helicopters, I think at the time you were away, were you surprised by the decision? Did you feel betrayed in any way?

SRSG: Well, I thought the process was betrayed, not me. But I felt sad because, as I said, UNMEE is not the reason why there is a stalemate, and I've said publicly, "please why punish UNMEE?". UNMEE is an innocent party. We are also a victim of the stalemate, because the reason why we are still here is because there is a stalemate; otherwise, we would have gone home a long time ago.

Question [Addis]: Did you expect for instance, the stalemate to linger for five years and a half? Even though it is not the UNMEE mandate to sort out the boundary issue, did you think, in those five years, it would have been done?

SRSG: My sister, you have asked a very interesting question, because I am now reminded that I used to call all these [problems] ?hiccups'.  If a hiccup continues for hours, the likelihood is that you are suffering from something very serious.  Unfortunately, the hiccup which is called the stalemate became a terminal hiccup of more than three years now. It is no longer a hiccup.  It is some pre-cancerous growth which has to be dealt with effectively, if the patient is not to die. In the beginning, I thought no, [the stalemate] could be resolved. But unfortunately, the international community didn't take it seriously; I was the only one who took it seriously. Now they are trying to take it seriously. That is the reason why you had the Witnesses' meeting the other day. And you had the meeting of the EEBC after a long pause. And you are going to have another one at the end of the month. And therefore, to be honest with you, I am disappointed that the stalemate has lasted so long. I didn't expect that it would last so long.