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Ethiopia, Eritrea Resolve Key Peace Process Stumbling Block
NAIROBI, Feb 6 (News Agencies) - Former warring neighbors Ethiopia and Eritrea on Tuesday resolved a key dispute over a border buffer zone and agreed that Ethiopian troops will next week begin redeploying from their positions in southern Eritrea, the U.N. announced here.
At the third meeting of the Military Coordination Commission (MCC) of the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) "an agreement was reached (by top military officers from both sides) to move forward with the establishment of the Temporary Security Zone (TSZ) on February 12, 2001," read a statement released by UNMEE.
Ethiopia has had troops stationed in Eritrea since launching a major offensive in May 2000; some two years after the Horn of Africa neighbors went to war.
The buffer zone is a key element of a comprehensive peace accord both sides signed in December last year. More than 4,000 U.N. peacekeeping troops are being deployed in the area.
The last meeting of the MCC, held here in December, broke up over a row about the precise boundaries of the TSZ, which UNMEE describes as a "25 kilometer [15.5 mile] deep buffer zone separating the two armies."
At Tuesday's meeting "both parties expressed their general acceptance of the United Nations proposal for the southern boundary of the TSZ."
According to UNMEE's statement, both sides expressed reservations about the agreement but "were eager to move ahead with the deployment of Ethiopian forces, the rearrangement of Eritrean forces [down to the northern boundary of the TSZ] and the establishment of the TSZ."
According to a timetable agreed during Tuesday's meeting, on February 10th UNMEE force commander Dutch Major General Patrick Cammaert will declare there is a "credible force" in the mission area to carry out his mandate of observing the ceasefire agreed by both sides.
Five days later, Ethiopia is due to re-deploy its forces to the southern boundary of the TSZ.
On February 17th, Eritrea will begin to rearrange its forces to the northern boundary of the TSZ.
On February 26th, Ethiopia finishes redeploying its forces and, on March 3rd, Eritrea completes the rearrangement of its troops to the northern boundary.
Once UNMEE's verification of the TSZ is completed, "Eritrea will start the restoration of civil administration including police and local militia in the zone," the statement said.
Until 1991, Eritrea was a province of Ethiopia and had been fighting for its independence for three decades. This was officially gained, with the blessing of Addis Ababa, in 1993.
Relations began to sour after a few years, in large part over economic issues. Because of a border dispute, tensions flared up into full-scale war in May 1998. The conflict was characterized by large battles interspersed with long lulls.
After last year's offensive, Ethiopia declared the war over in June 2000, and both sides signed a cessation of hostilities deal later that month. This deal formed the basis of the comprehensive peace accord agreed in December.
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