Eritrea presented a proposal to the Commission at the start of the meeting that agreed in writing to every point on the Commission’s agenda. It committed itself to full cooperation with the Commission and with UNMEE in assisting the Commission in preparing for installation of the boundary pillars. Eritrea’s only condition was that it expected Ethiopia to cooperate with the Commission, as well. The Commission therefore focused on whether Ethiopia was willing to allow the demarcation to proceed.

Ethiopia did not present any proposal to the Commission regarding demarcation. Instead, it accused Eritrea of various things, most of which were completely irrelevant to the demarcation proceedings. When the Commission responded that it had no authority to entertain demands that were unrelated to the demarcation, Ethiopia made clear that it was not prepared to cooperate with the Commission. Ethiopia stated that even if Eritrea did everything that the Commission specified, it was not prepared to move forward.

Therefore, after recognizing that it was not possible to make progress because Ethiopia was still refusing to cooperate, the Commission was forced to adjourn the meeting.

Office of the Legal Advisor
Asmara, Eritrea

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