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UN Opens First Land Access Route Between Ethiopia, Eritrea
The United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) has opened the first land access route through the war front-line between Ethiopia and Eritrea in what a top UN official hailed as a major step forward in promoting peace, a UN spokesman said Wednesday, November 29.
Fred Eckhard, the UN spokesman, told a press conference that UNMEE Force Commander Major-General Patrick Cammaert said Tuesday that the crossing would "contribute significantly toward building confidence between the two parties and help move the peace process forward."
Cammaert drove from AidKeyh in Eritrea to Senafe, the Eritrean town occupied by Ethiopia, thus opening the first land corridor for UN troops to be deployed in the area.
He said that the UNMEE hoped to open two more land routes along the 1,000-kilometer border soon.
UN sources said that the access route would for the time being only be used by UNMEE personnel.
Once the force are deployed in the security zone, Ethiopian forces will move to their positions before hostilities broke out in mid-1998 as required under the June 18 agreement on the cessation of hostilities between the two Horn of Africa countries.
There has been no progress in political talks between the neighboring countries on signing a comprehensive peace agreement.
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