ADDIS ABABA (July 24) XINHUA - The Ethiopian Maritime and Transit Enterprise said that it has finalized preparations to secure the release of Ethiopian cargo stranded in Eritrean seaports by referring to the case to the pertinent international agency.
Ahmed Yasin, General Manager of the enterprise said that as Ethiopia and Eritrea are parties to the International Maritime Convention since 1993, Eritrea is obliged to allow the shipment of the goods stored in Eritrean ports, the Ethiopian News Agency reported Friday.
Ahmed said that as the world is governed by international law, Ethiopia will present its case to the concerned international agency.
He said a committee in charge of gathering the necessary information and presenting the case to perninent international body has already been set up. Members of the committee were drawn from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maritime Transit and other governmental organizations.
It was reported that about 135,000 tons of dry cargo, nearly 47,000 cubic meters of wet cargo and 50,000 tons of asphalt remain impounded at the Eritrean ports of Assab and Massawa.
Meanwhile, the Ethiopian Foreign Ministry Friday issued a press release, accusing the Eritrean government of ''inhuman treatment of Ethiopians in Eritrea''.
The press release stated: ''About 2,000 Ethiopians who have been living in and around Asmara have been thrown out of their jobs and residences and are now living on the streets with no food or shelter.''
It said, ''Thousands of Ethiopians are currently under detention in Sawa military training camp and other detention centers and police stations throughout Eritrea including Asmara and Assab.''
On July 8, 1998, ''Eritrean border guards opened fire killing a few of'' Ethiopians and ''the whereabouts of 85 of Ethiopians is not known so far".