UN General Assembly
2009

namely, Ras Doumeira and Doumeira Island, and in resolution 1862 (2009) of 14 January 2009, demanded, inter alia, that Eritrea withdraw its forces and all their military hardware to the status quo ante; acknowledge its border dispute with Djibouti; engage actively in dialogue to defuse the tension and in diplomatic efforts leading to a mutually acceptable settlement; and to abide by its obligations as a Member of the United Nations. The resolution required Eritrea to comply immediately, and, in any case no later than five weeks after the resolution’s adoption date of 14 January. Eritrea, however, rejected the resolution the next day. There the matter has essentially remained, in the light of the series of requests made by the Secretariat for more time to pursue contacts, particularly with the Eritrean authorities. As everyone now realizes, it is a futile exercise to seek a credible response from Eritrea, whose intentions have always been to procrastinate on various pretexts while firmly entrenching itself in the occupied territory. As Djibouti has repeatedly stated, the occupied areas of Ras Doumeira hill, which overlooks the