[allAfrica.com] [Africa_2004] Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dismisses Allegations By US State Department Addis Tribune (Addis Ababa) NEWS May 14, 2004 Posted to the web May 14, 2004 Commenting on the allegation by a spokesman of the State Department that Ethiopia was engaged in provocative incursions into Eritrea, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement it issued on Wednesday that there had been on the Ethiopian side neither incursions nor any form of provocation. The Ministry said the statement issued last Tuesday by the spokesman of the State Department did not reflect the reality on the ground. "This latest event was caused by cattle rustling in which 500 heads of cattle were stolen by Eriteran troops who crossed into Ethiopia, south of the Temporary Security Zone, and returned to Eritrea with their booty. This resulted in a few armed elements, to be exact four armed militiamen, from the Ethiopian side to cross into the Temporary Security Zone in pursuit of the stolen cattle - an act which Ethiopia has never and will never condone but which nevertheless was a reaction to provocation by Eritrea," said the statement. Meanwhile, the Military Coordination Commission (MCC) held its twenty-fourth meeting in Nairobi last Monday The meeting was chaired by the Force Commander of the United Nations Mission to Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE), Major-General Robert Gordon. Brigadier-General Elliot Kamteni represented the African Union (AU). Ethiopia's military delegation was led by Brigadier-General Yohannes Gebremeskel and Eritrea's military delegation by Brigadier-General Abrahaley Kifle. In his opening statement, the Force Commander said that in the eight weeks since the last MCC meeting, UNMEE's position within the peace process had deteriorated. He said that the Security Council, in a statement released on march 4 had expressed concern about the situation, highlighting the absence of progress towards demarcation, the continuing restrictions on the Mission's freedom of movement, the increased detention of UNMEE's local staff and, most recently, the Eritrean Government's public allegations against UNMEE. These allegations shockingly accused UNMEE of being a danger to the peace and stability of the people and government of Eritrea and the security and stability of the region. He said that the United Nations, both in New York and in the Mission, had been shocked by the public and deliberate denigration of UNMEE by the Eritrean authorities. Since its inception, the Mission had worked hard to achieve progress and find solutions to the peace process. UNMEE was now alarmingly being accused by the Eritrean authorities of being part of the problem. He said that, ultimately, the Mission saw these unjust allegations as an erosion of the Parties' consent for UNMEE to operate. The MCC meeting was therefore being held against a gloomy background with genuine concern being expressed about the long-term viability of UNMEE, given the lack of progress towards demarcation and the diminishing consent for the Mission's operations. He asked both delegations to state clearly whether they wanted the Mission to stay or leave. He warned that this was a question that would increasingly be asked in the future. Both Commissioners confirmed a continuing role for UNMEE. Turning to the security and military situation, the Force Commander said that while military stability continued to prevail, allegations of border infiltrations and cattle rustling had increased. This was a cause for concern because the incidents had the ability to destabilise the situation in the border areas. However, the Sector Military Co-ordination Commission (SMCC) mechanism was welcome and was undoubtedly helping. He informed the meeting that the second round of SMCCs in Sectors West and Centre had already successfully taken place and that the Eritreans were currently working on a date for the first sector MCC meeting in Sector East. Brigadier-General Kamteni, in his opening statement said that the African Union was particularly pleased with the progress made so far by Sector MCCs. He said the AU appreciated the effort that both Parties and UNMEE had made to ensure that the SMCC process succeeded in Sectors West and Centre and he looked forward to a date being set for the first SMCC Sector East. He said that by tackling certain issues at the sector level, the Sector MCCs had lessened the tasks of the MCC. In his opening statement, Brigadier-General Abrahaley denied that his Government's attitude towards UNMEE had changed and stressed that they had never intended to harm the Mission's work. However, he believed that UNMEE's lack of cooperation concerning the registration of the Mission's nationally- employed staff was a threat to Eritrean security. He said that they were doing more that their fair share to push the peace process forward. He said that after four years, Eritrea was now without a partner for peace since Ethiopia had informed the international community that they had withdrawn from the peace process. Ethiopia, he said, had rejected the decision of the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission (EEBC). On his part, Brigadier-General Yohannes said that as far as his government was concerned, UNMEE's mandate, in support of both parties, was clear and necessary. He expressed appreciation for the work UNMEE had been doing and praised the Mission for remaining calm and tolerant in a tense political environment. However, he was concerned over the restrictions on UNMEE's movement, which were undermining the Mission's ability to monitor according to its mandate. He also was concerned over the increase in cattle rustling incidents and warned that people relied on their cattle for their livelihood. Brigadier Yohannes was critical of what he described as the "hostile propaganda" from the Eritrean authorities, particularly that recently directed against UNMEE. This did not benefit anyone. A review of the current military situation, which included the increase in the number of cattle rustling incidents and border crossing incidents, was presented by the Chief Military Liaison Officer Colonel Shahjahan Mollah, while a presentation on demining operations was made by the Programme Manager of UNMEE Mine Action Co-ordination Centre, Mr. Phil Lewis. Participants agreed to hold the next MCC meeting on 5th July 2004 at a venue to be agreed later.   ==============================================================================  Copyright © 2004 Addis Tribune. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). ==============================================================================