Ethiopia ready to withdraw troops from Eritrea border

Ethiopia ready to withdraw troops from Eritrea border

Ethiopia said on Friday it is prepared to withdraw from its disputed border with Eritrea in compliance with a United Nations order aimed at reducing tension between the two countries.

"This move is in the interests of peace," said Ethiopian Foreign Minister Seyoum Mesfin, according to the Ethiopian News Agency.

Alarmed by a recent military build-up by Ethiopia and Eritrea along their joint border, the UN Security Council last week threatened to impose sanctions on both countries to avert a resumption of hostilities.

Eritrea and Ethiopia fought a two-year border war that officially ended in December 2000, but tensions have remained high.

Ethiopia has refused to comply with a 2002 boundary-commission ruling that awarded an Ethiopian-administered border town to Eritrea.

Eritrea banned all helicopter flights by the UN mission in Eritrea and Ethiopia monitoring the border area recently.

Asmara also ordered all North American, European and Russian peacekeepers out of the country on Tuesday in a move widely seen to show its irritation with the UN's inability to force Ethiopia to return Badme to Asmara.

Two top UN envoys are expected in the troubled region this weekend to assess the impact of Eritrea's decision to expel part of the UN monitoring forces.
Sapa-DPA
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