Eritrean Charge Against Ethiopia Rejected by Washington CourtThe Ethiopian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that Washington court has rejected the charge filed by the Eritrean government against the Ethiopian government and its commercial bank.The charge demanded the court to order the return of property owned by Eritreans deported from Ethiopia for security reasons, noted the ministry. The lawsuit was reportedly filed before the signing of the Ethio-Eritrean peace accord last year and has also been a thorny issue during the preceding negotiations. The ministry said that Ethiopia had been arguing from the start that all compensation issues should be entertained by the Compensation Commission, adding the Eritrean government refused to present the case to the commission. Ethiopia and Eritrea had reportedly submitted applications containing their border claims to the Border and Compensation Commission which was established last January following the signing of peace accord between the two countries. The Ethiopian ministry also noted that the Compensation Commission has recently passed disciplinary decisions, which it described as appropriate and constructive. Based on the decisions, the ministry added that Ethiopia is making intensive preparations to submit its compensation requests in December 2001. |
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