§ Tony Cunningham (Workington)(Lab)I wish to present a petition bearing the signatures of about 5,000 people who are British Eritreans, members of the Eritrean community in the United Kingdom and friends of Eritrea.
In 1998 there was a border dispute between Ethiopia and Eritrea. Those are two of the six poorest countries in the world. That particular border dispute developed into a war which cost the lives of about 180,000 people, probably putting back the development of both countries by about 20 years.
When the war was over—it reminds me of similar sentiment at the end of the first world war—people said that it must never be allowed to happen again. Yet the border dispute rumbles on. There is at least a threat of further hostilities. We need a speedy resolution to the dispute so that both nations, after a war that has destroyed so many lives, can move on and rebuild.
The petition states:
The Petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urge the Government to take steps to discourage Ethiopia from pursuing the path of war. The Petitioners further request that the House of Commons urge the Government to advocate strict international sanctions in accordance with the UN Charter, in order to prevent the violation of the sovereignty of Eritrea and of the basic tenets of the UN Charter and International Law.
§ And the Petitioners remain, etc.
§ To lie upon the Table.