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Eritrea: Fuel Restrictions Threaten Viability of UN Mission, Warns Envoy
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UN News Service (New York)
25 January 2008
Posted to the web 26 January 2008
Eritrea's fuel restrictions imposed on the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) is paralyzing the work of the mission and could force it to withdraw from that side of the disputed border between the two countries, a UN official warned today.
Azouz Ennifar, UNMEE's acting head, told journalists after briefing the Security Council that the mission has not been able to obtain fresh supplies of fuel in Eritrea since 1 December last year.
"These restrictions are paralyzing the mission and its movements and making the living conditions of our civilian and military staff on the ground extremely difficult," he said.
UNMEE is relying on "certain quantities" of fuel stocks it has, but is having to use them sparingly so as to stretch them as long as possible. The number of patrols carried out by mission staff have had to be reduced as a result.
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In his most recent report on the situation, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon recommended to the Council that the mission's mandate have a one-month technical rollover to assess the situation.
Mr. Ennifar said that unless the mission is allowed access to fuel supplies, then a decision will have to be made before the end of next month on whether it is worth continuing to operate on the Eritrean side of the border with Ethiopia, which was the subject of a deadly two-year war that ended in 2000.
He stressed that the UN had pursued many diplomatic avenues to try to convince the Eritrean Government to change its decision.
US Secretary John Foster Dulles in 1952 declared, "From the point of view of justice, the opinions of the Eritrean people must receive consideration. Nevertheless, the strategic interests of the United States in the Red Sea Basin and considerations of security and world peace make it necessary that the country (Eritrea) has to be linked with our ally, Ethiopia". Thereby, sacrificing Eritrea to the US-Ethiopian unholy alliance, enticing and leading to 50 years of Ethio-Eritrean war. But, Eritreans foiled the injustice and conspiracy by liberating Eritrea & will defend Eritrean liberty against all mortal odds. Sad to see the US... [Read Full Text]
Amen my brother. what an irony, the nightmare is reapeating again. Peace, freedom and justice loving people of eritrea are the victims of an ill, misguided and undemocratic policies of great powers. The world is in great danger because of these policy makers and breakers of the past, present and future. The only way to stand-up to these injustices is to make sure the whole eritrean people are united and defend their precious librety, freedom and country as we did in the last 30 yrs of libration struggle. Yonas
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