Western peacekeepers begin pullout from Eritrea

ASMARA - Western peacekeepers began leaving Eritrea yesterday after the United Nations agreed to pull out Americans, Canadians and Europeans from its mission set up to prevent war with Ethiopia.

The UN Security council said in a statement the world body would "temporarily relocate" military and civilian staff from Eritrea to Ethiopia in the interests of safety.

Last week, Eritrea ordered out peacekeepers from the United States, Canada and Europe.

The decision affects some 180 military observers and civilian logistics staff, but the United Nations said  roughly 20 extra staff from other nationalities would also be leaving.

"It is confused," said one UN staff member when asked about the mood inside the so-called Green Building of the UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE).

The head of UN peacekeeping, Jean-Marie Guehenno, arrived in Eritrea late on Monday in a last-ditch effort to resolve the crisis. But by Wednesday, he still had not had a meeting with Eritrean officials.

The order for peacekeepers to leave within 10 days will stymie the UN operation to monitor the tense Eritrea-Ethiopia border, where a 1998-2000 war killed 70,000 people.

The Eritrean move was widely viewed as a sign of frustration that the international community has done little to force Ethiopia to implement demarcation of their common border.

In a 2000 peace deal, the two countries agreed an independent commission would decide on where their border should be, but Ethiopia later rejected the ruling.

The Security Council's statement emphasised the "urgent need" for progress in implementing the commission's decision.

US Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton said earlier the council should consider withdrawing all the troops and questioned whether the operation should continue because Ethiopia as well as Eritrea, was making unreasonable demands.

India and Jordan are the main contributors to the 3300-strong peacekeeping mission.

- REUTERS