HA'ARETZ
July 29, 1998
By David Makovsky, Ha'aretz Diplomatic Correspondent
Eritrea sent a top-level message to Israel last week, saying it has information that Israel is going to refurbish Ethiopian Mig jet-fighters, and asking Israel to refrain because it could effect the outcome of the border war between the two countries. Officials confirm that Ethiopia has asked Israel to refurbish 11 of their Migs. Meanwhile, Ethiopian Deputy Foreign Minister Takeda Alemu was here this week to meet foreign ministry officials.
The appeal from Asmara, believed to have been dispatched by Eritrean President Isayas Afewerki, was relayed last week by Eritrea's ambassador at the UN to his Israeli counterpart, Dore Gold. Officials in Jerusalem say that an Eritrean appeal was also routed to Israeli officials in Washington.
Alemu held talks with Foreign Ministry director-general Eitan Bentsur on Monday. Alemu arrived in Israel with a personal message to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from Ethiopia's Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, urging Israel to use its influence to ensure that Eritrea carries out a full withdrawal.
Israel has yet to decide how to handle the situation. The Foreign Ministry held one internal consultation on Sunday, and is expected to hold another meeting this week before formulating recommendations to Netanyahu.
Of the two neighbors in the Horn of Africa, Ethiopia is larger than Eritrea, but it is also more ethnically diverse and internally weak. Eritrea is smaller, but internally more cohesive and located on the shoreline of the Red Sea.
On Sunday, Eritrea's Afewerki flew to Libya to meet leader Muammer Gaddafi. Libya has been mediating between Ethiopia and Eritrea in their territorial conflict, offering, with other Saharan states, to man a buffer zone in the disputed areas after a cease-fire.
Last week, Ethiopia rejected Eritrea's call for arbitration as a means of settling the border dispute. Afewerki has said demarcation of the contested border could solve the 10-week conflict. However, Eritrea has refused to accept a peace plan by the U.S. and Rwanda, endorsed by the Organization of African Unity, calling on Eritrea to withdraw from territory it held before the conflict began on May 6. But the plan makes comparable demands of Ethiopia.
Hundreds have died in the border war, which flared in both air and ground fighting but reached a tense standstill last month.
Defense News Online
July, 1997
Israeli industrialists are bemoaning the fact that their hoped-for sale of upgrade packages to Ethopia's MiG-21 fleet is foundering due to lack of cash. Israeli officials had envisioned the sale as opening not only the market for such upgrades in Africa, but also across the Third World, where there are hefty supplies of Soviet-era aircraft. Israel Aircraft Industries is competing with fellow Israeli firm Elbit Systems Ltd. for the Ethiopian contract, as well as with several Russian enterprises. Ethiopia is expected to pick a winner by early 1998, if funding is found.