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Letter to the
Boundary Commission
Sir Elihu Lauterpacht
Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary
Commission President
Permanent Court of
Arbitration
Peace Palace
Carnegieplein 2
2517 KJ – The Hague
The Netherlands 19 January 2002
Dear Sir Lauterpacht,
We are a group of
Eritreans residing in the UK who are concerned about the current
Ethiopian posturing which appears to be aimed at influencing the on-going
deliberations of your Commission.
As you know, Eritrea's journey towards independence was long,
bitter and tens of thousands young fighters sacrificed their lives to
achieve it. As the scars of
the struggle for independence were beginning to heal another war broke
out to claim more young lives.
The recent war also produced hundreds of thousands of refugees and
deportees.
We have learned that both
parties have completed presenting their respective cases to the
Commission and that the world is waiting for the final outcome of your
deliberations. We believe
that the current Ethiopian moves are unacceptable and should not in any
way influence the legal process.
The mandate which is
bestowed upon your Commission “to delimit and demarcate the colonial
treaty border based on pertinent colonial treaties (1900, 1902 and 1908)
and applicable international law” is, we believe, a legal process with no
room for political considerations.
Honourable Commissioners,
we urge you to reach your final decision based on the legal documents
before you and not be distracted by political posturing such as those we
are witnessing from the Ethiopian side.
We wish you success in your
efforts to put an end to this conflict.
Thank you,
Yours sincerely,
Eritreans for Human and
Democratic Rights – UK
Mr Kofi Anan
Mr Amara Essy
Mr Legwaila Joseph
Legwaila
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