SG/T/2260
AFR/292

ACTIVITIES OF THE SECRETARY-GENERAL IN ERITREA 8-9 DECEMBER

The Secretary-General travelled from Addis Ababa in the morning of Friday, 8 December, arriving in Asmara, the Eritrean capital, at noon. He was met at the airport by the President of Eritrea, Isaias Afwerki. Both leaders spoke to the press. The President said that this visit of the Secretary-General marks the �beginning of an end to a conflict we could have avoided a long time ago -- two years and a half�. The President also said that the Secretary-General�s �serious and committed effort� contributed to the agreement on the cessation of hostilities, to be signed in Algiers on 12 December. The Secretary-General rejoiced with the President for the peoples of Eritrea and Ethiopia that this war was over. He added that �now we should focus on reconstruction. We should focus on economic and social development.�

The Secretary-General�s first activity in Eritrea was a working luncheon with his Special Representative, Legwaila Joseph Legwaila, and the United Nations Resident/Humanitarian Coordinator, Simon Nhongo. The Secretary-General was accompanied by his Special Envoy for the Drought in the Horn of Africa, Catherine Bertini; the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Jean-Marie Gu�henno; and the Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Ibrahima Fall. He was briefed on the deployment of the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE), on the humanitarian situation and on the long- term needs in Eritrea.

Following that, he proceeded to the new UNMEE Headquarters for a briefing by the Force Commander, Major-General Patrick Cammaert of the Netherlands, who informed the Secretary-General about the status of deployment of the Mission, and on details regarding the access routes recently opened, as well as other operational aspects of the Mission.

The Secretary-General and Mrs. Annan then went by helicopter to Adi Keyh, a village 100 kilometres south of Asmara, which serves as a military observer station. Upon arrival, the Secretary-General reviewed an honour guard of the Eritrean Defence Force, and he was introduced to a delegation of religious and community leaders. The Secretary-General was accompanied by the Eritrean Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Haile Menkerios, and the Commissioner for Coordination of Peacekeeping Forces, Ambassador Andeberhan Woldegiorgis.

The Secretary-General walked from the helicopter landing area, the village football field, to the main square, through streets which were lined with

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thousands of people (some estimated the crowd at 5,000) who welcomed him in the most enthusiastic and warm manner. Children waved, flowers were offered, and women ululated while throwing popcorn over the Secretary-General�s and Mrs. Annan�s heads. Handmade signs were held by some people with messages which read �Long live the United Nations� and �We want peace�.

The Secretary-General then spoke to this audience of thousands. He told them that he was very �touched by this warm, generous reception and the incredible desire for peace�, adding that, �I always knew, even during the war, that, in your heart of hearts, you wanted peace.� The Secretary-General also told the Adi Keyh population that the United Nations would be working with them through the peace process: �As you begin to pick up your pieces and rebuild your lives, you must know you are not alone.�

At the United Nations military observers� base, the Secretary-General was briefed on recent developments and on the very positive relationship the observers have with the local population.

From Adi Keyh, he went by helicopter to Dek�emhare, a very isolated, deserted-looking area between Adi Keyh and Asmara. That is where the peacekeeping force is establishing a logistics base which is being constructed and will support the Dutch and Canadian peacekeepers. The Secretary-General had a very short briefing to allow him time to talk to the soldiers. He was offered a cap of the Dutch marine corps and he said, �You are wearing the United Nations blue beret, and I am wearing your cap -- so we are a family.�

When talking to the peacekeepers, he told them that he knew they had left family and friends �to come this far to make a difference�. �We appreciate what you�re doing,� he said. �It is not easy to be a peacekeeper; it takes discipline, it takes patience. I wish you every success.�

The Secretary-General and Mrs. Annan mingled and had coffee with the peacekeepers in an improvised canteen used by the soldiers. At the end of the visit, the Secretary-General said he was amazed how quickly the peacekeepers got down to work, and he told the press, �You would not believe that a group of them arrived 10 hours ago, and they are alert and operational-ready. What they are doing here,� he said, �is what the United Nations is about. This is the United Nations.�

The Secretary-General and Mrs. Annan then flew back to Asmara, where they attended a reception hosted by Special Representative Legwaila and Mr. Nhongo.

On Saturday morning, the Secretary-General met with the Eritrean Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ali Said Abdella, and Minister of Defence, General Sebhat Ephrem.

Following that, he met with President Afwerki. At the end of the hour- long meeting, the Secretary-General and the President spoke with journalists. The Secretary-General said that they had agreed that the most critical areas

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ahead were �the internally displaced, refugees, prisoners of war. We should do whatever we can to get these people back to their homes, to pick up their lives, and give them support in building their shelters, going back to till the land, develop agriculture.�

In the afternoon before leaving for Palermo, Italy, the Secretary-General met with United Nations staff in Eritrea and with non-governmental organizations, donors and United Nations agencies. He also held a press conference. The Secretary-General told journalists that he had visited both Ethiopia and Eritrea, and that leaders in both countries �are determined to make peace, determined to honour their commitments and their engagements�, which would be formalized in Algiers on 12 December. The Secretary-General also said that peace is not just the silence of guns. He alluded to the inflammatory or soothing impact of words. �Now that we have peace,� he said, �the leaders and the people in the region have to be very careful as to what language they use.� He went on to say that it must be a �language of reconciliation, a language of forgiveness, a language of peace, a language of re-establishing the brotherly relations that existed between the two neighbours�.

The Secretary-General then left for Palermo, Italy.

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