Assembly/AU/3 (X) Page 8 c) Peace Process between Eritrea and Ethiopia 33. During the period under review, no progress has been made in the peace process between Eritrea and Ethiopia. The situation in the TSZ established pursuant to the Algiers Agreement of June 2000 remains tense. According to UNMEE, Eritrea continues to maintain military presence and heavy military equipment, including tanks, in the TSZ, and has deployed additional military personnel and equipment into the zone during the period under consideration, while the troops and heavy equipment deployed in October 2006 by Ethiopia in areas adjacent to the TSZ have remained in position. Furthermore, UNMEE’s ability to monitor the TSZ continues to be hampered by the numerous restrictions imposed on its operations by Eritrea. 34. On 30 July 2007, the Security Council adopted resolution 1767(2007) through which it, inter alia, extended the mandate of UNMEE for a period of six months, until 31 January 2008, reiterated its demands that Eritrea immediately withdraw its troops and heavy military equipment from the TSZ, and called on Ethiopia to reduce the number of additional military forces recently introduced in certain areas adjacent to the TSZ. The Security Council demanded that the parties provide UNMEE with the necessary access, assistance, support and protection required for the performance of its duties, and reiterated its demand that Eritrea reverse, without further delay or preconditions, all restrictions on UNMEE’s movement and operations. 35. On 6 and 7 September 2007, at The Hague, the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission (EEBC) met with the parties. However, no progress was made in overcoming the difficulties impeding the implementation of the April 2002 Delimitation Decision. Against this background, the EEBC reminded the parties of its statement of 27 November 2006, in which it gave them one year to settle their differences, after which, if no agreement is reached on how to proceed with the demarcation, “the boundary will automatically stand as demarcated by the boundary points listed in the Annex hereto and the mandate of the Commission could then be regarded as fulfilled.” Accordingly, the EEBC officially terminated its activities at the end of November 2007. 36. On 22 September 2007, the Ethiopian Foreign Minister wrote to his Eritrean counterpart, stressing that Eritrea, by introducing troops and heavy equipment in the TSZ, had committed a material breach of the Algiers Agreements. The Minister further stated that this situation could compel his country to consider resorting to legal and peaceful options under international law, including terminating the Algiers Agreements or suspending its participation in these instruments. The Minister also reiterated his country’s opposition to the decision of the EEBC to demarcate the border through map coordinates as contained in its statement of November 2006. On his part, the Eritrean Foreign Minister wrote to the Witnesses of the Algiers Agreements and to the President of the Security Council, accusing Ethiopia of repeated violations of the Algiers Agreements and of refusing to cooperate with the EEBC. He called on the Security Council to enforce the Delimitation Decision. 37. On 27 December 2007, the Eritrean Cabinet of Ministers accepted the “virtual demarcation” of the border as decided by the EEBC. In a letter to the UN SecretaryGeneral dated 15 January 2008, the Eritrean President indicated that, as far as his country was concerned, the border has been demarcated and the chapter closed. Consistent to its position, as stated at the above-mentioned EEBC meeting, Ethiopia