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Ethiopia and Eritrea Sign Peace Treaty
Ethiopia and Eritrea formally ended their two-year war on Tuesday, signing a peace agreement that halts a conflict over a barren patch of land that left tens of thousands dead. Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki signed the accord before a crowd of applauding diplomats, many of whom participated in the peace process.
The signing, held at a government-owned resort outside the Algerian capital of Algiers, was attended by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. President Clinton, traveling in Ireland, sent his congratulations. "My relief and happiness on this occasion mirrors the sadness I felt when I witnessed two allies and friends embroiled in a tragic conflict," he said. "To the people of Ethiopia and Eritrea, I say the hope and promise of this day is yours," Albright told the gathering, adding, "May today"s peace last long in your children"s future." T
The peace agreement establishes commissions to mark the 620-mile border, exchange prisoners, return displaced people and hear claims on compensation for war damages. About 4,200 U.N. peacekeepers will monitor the cease-fire. No timetable has been set for the peace process and demarcation of the border, but Annan has said he did not expect U.N. troops to be stationed in the Horn of Africa for more than a year. Getting the two impoverished nations to sign an agreement took months of diplomatic pressure from the United States, the United Nations and the Organization for African Unity. While he lauded the peace agreement, Annan said a cessation of fighting is not enough and that the two nations must learn to live with one another. "It is not enough to silence the guns. As we embrace peace, build trust and work for reconciliation, we must remember that words can inflame or soothe," he said. "We need the best possible atmosphere for implementation of this agreement."
The fighting erupted on May 6, 1998, when Eritrea _ which won independence from Ethiopia in 1993 after a 30-year guerrilla war _ invaded what Ethiopia considered its territory. The border between Eritrea, a nation of 3.5 million on the Red Sea coast, and Ethiopia, its much larger landlocked neighbor of 60 million, has never been formally outlined. After a series of failed international mediations to stop the war, Ethiopia launched a swift offensive inside Eritrea in May and declared the war over, claiming it had recaptured its territory. The two countries signed an agreement to a cease hostilities in June, in Algiers. Algeria, the OAU and President Clinton"s envoy, Anthony Lake, have been mediating peace talks. Under the agreement, Ethiopia is supposed to move back from positions that were not under its administration before the war broke out. Eritreans will withdraw to 15 miles from Ethiopia"s new positions. Tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians were killed in the war, an unknown number of prisoners were captured and 650,000 people were displaced on both sides on the border, according to estimates from both sides.
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