Eritrean-Yemeni maritime boundary to be split down middle: Eritrea
ASMARA, Dec 19 (AFP) - The International Court in The Hague has ruled
that the maritime boundary between Eritrea and Yemen will be split down
the middle, Eritrean presidential spokesman Yemane Ghebremeskel told AFP
on Saturday.
Yemane said that according to the five-member court decision announced
late Friday, the split would start from each country's mainland shore.
The text of the decision and maps will, however, not be available to the
public before Monday, he said.
"The decision is a balanced one. It has given sovereignty over Hannish
island to Yemen, but preserved Eritrea's historical fishing rights,"
Yemane said.
He said Yemen had argued that its maritime boundary, generally set at 20
kilometers from a country's outermost point, should start at Hannish
Island, almost midway between the two countries.
But the court ruled that "since Hannish was a no-man's land until the
early 1990s, it was never historically part of Yemen and, therefore,
Eritrea would be allowed its historic fishing ground," he explained.
Eritrea and Yemen clashed in 1996 over Hannish Island, but through a deal
brokered by the French, the two countries agreed to let The Hague
determine sovereignty over the Red Sea Islands and the maritime boundaries.
The first stage, concerning rights over the small islands, was recently
decided, with Yemen getting Hannish and several of the islands, but the
issue of maritime boundaries was left for a later date.
The second ruling was viewed as important because it delineated each
country's fishing rights, allowing traditional Eritrean fishermen to
continue using the disputed islands for repairing boats and drying fish.
Eritrea recently expanded its fishing industry, exporting small
quantities of fish to Europe and the Middle East, while there are
projects underway to increase the capacity.
"The ruling is very positive because it shows how a territorial issue can
be settled through international arbitration and legal means," Yemane said.
Eritrea is currently engaged in a major war with Ethiopia over disputed
land along their common boundary.
A peace agreement, which Eritrea has signed, but Ethiopia has not, allows
for international arbitration and for an international team to delineate
the boundary according to the colonial treaties.
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