The Committee resumed consideration of the motion, as amended, of Alexa McDonough, — That pursuant to Standing Order 108(2) the Standing Committee of Foreign Affairs and International Trade agrees to report the following:
Concerned about the ongoing tensions along the Eritrea-Ethiopia Border which jeopardize the tenuous peace reached with the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement on December 12, 2000, in Algiers;
Welcomes the recommendations of the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission, created by Article 4.2 of the Algiers Agreement, to demarcate the disputed border between the two countries;
Mindful that following Article 4.5 of the Algiers Agreement, the recommendations of the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission are binding on both parties of the conflict and are final;
Agrees with the April 13, 2002, decision of the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission to grant the disputed town of Badme to Eritrea;
Aware of the controversial nature of the Badme decision and the catalyst role of this settlement in the initiation of hostilities between Ethiopia and Eritrea;
Alarmed over Ethiopian failure to fully comply with, and accept, the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission’s recommendations, especially with regards to the town of Badme;
Concerned that the destruction during the war, the current stalemate in the peace process, and the cumulative effects of drought have dealt a serious blow to the Eritrean economy, reducing that country’s capacity to cover food requirements through imports;
Recognizes the efforts of Dr. Lloyd Axworthy, UN Secretary General Special Envoy to the Horn of Africa;
Appreciative of the leadership role that Canada has played in the United Nations mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE), including the deployment of peacekeepers to the region at the cessation of hostilities;
Calls on the government of Canada to increase the pressure on the Government of Ethiopia to accept, in full, the recommendations of the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission, including the decision on the town of Badme;