Saturday, March 4 2006 12:14 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

United Nations: The United Nations Security Council has demanded removal of all restrictions on operations of the world body's mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea after an Indian peacekeeper died of cardiac arrest there as a medical evacuation took a long time due to a ban on UN helicopter flights.

"Members of the Council regret that the death occurred in the circumstances of the unacceptable restrictions imposed by the Government of Eritrea on the operations of UNMEE (the UNMission in Ethiopia and Eritrea), which have grave implications on the safety of its staff and which must be lifted without further delay," President of the UN Security Council, Cisar Mayoral of Argentina, said in a statement.

Upon learning of the death of Lance Corporal Kamble Ramesh Annappa, UN ecretary General Kofi Annan called on Eritrea to lift all restrictions on the functioning of the peacekeepers.

Annappa, who was a member of the Indian contingent of the UNMEE, suffered a cardiac arrest in the Temporary Security Zone between Eritrea and Ethiopia and was declared dead after he was evacuated to Addis Ababa.

The UNMEE said the Indian soldier could have been taken to Asmara in Eritrea in a much shorter time and that there was a chopper available which could have taken him in about 50 minutes to a UN hospital in the capital.

What has been pointed out is that aside from a ban on overflights by UN helicopters, Eritrea has barred peacekeepers of certain nationalities from its territory and UNMEE patrols face restrictions on their movements.