20 June 2000
U.S. Backs Sierra Leone War Crimes Tribunal
(Holbrooke: RUF leaders must be brought to justice) (580) By Judy Aita Washington File United Nations Correspondent United Nations -- The United States wants some kind of Sierra Leone war crimes tribunal "swiftly and efficiently" set up to deal with Foday Sankoh and other leaders of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), U.S. Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Richard Holbrooke said June 20. Stressing the "important role justice and reconciliation play in peace processes around the world," Holbrooke said that "nowhere is this need greater than in Sierra Leone. No mistake should be made about our government's attitude towards the leaders of the RUF who have created this terrible tragedy in Sierra Leone. "We do not believe that Sierra Leone can have a peaceful and stable future until they are brought to justice," the ambassador said. Holbrooke said that he has been discussing the issue with other Security Council members, members of the U.N. legal staff, and Carla del Ponte, the chief prosecutor of the Yugoslav and Rwanda war crimes tribunals. The ambassador raised the Sierra Leone issue during a Security Council meeting with Judge Claude Jorda, president of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, on the workings of the court. The United Nations confirmed that it has communications from Sierra Leone's President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah about such a court, but refused to divulge details. The matter is being studied by the U.N. legal staff, a U.N. spokesman said. RUF leader Sankoh is currently in the custody of the Sierra Leonean government. He was seized by police after his forces refused to cooperate with U.N. peacekeeping forces, at one point holding hundreds of the U.N. troops hostage. The RUF's actions threatened the peace established by the Lome agreement, which ended one of the most brutal civil wars of the century. Holbrooke said that "some form of extension of the international war crimes umbrella to cover these odious people must be undertaken." The United States "is committed to the rapid creation of a vigorous internationally backed mechanism or the extension of the existing mechanisms to address these grave acts of inhumanity," he said. The ambassador said that after the council receives the views of Secretary-General Kofi Annan and the U.N. legal division on how to proceed, the United States wants "a serious, sustained discussion of the options before us." The United States would like whatever is decided upon done "swiftly and efficiently," Holbrooke said, which probably eliminates the possibility of creating a new tribunal. But "some form of international umbrella as suggested by the president of Sierra Leone ... is something I believe must be looked at very positively and with a view toward action at the earliest possible opportunity." The ambassador also highlighted the U.N. position on war crimes in Sierra Leone. The Lome agreement ending the war between the government and RUF provided for amnesty for all involved. However, the secretary-general noted in a reservation at the signing in 1999 that the Lome agreement could not be considered an obstacle to the prosecution of those charged with fundamental violations of international humanitarian law. "That was an important and far-sighted reservation set down by the secretary-general and his legal staff. I commend them for their foresight and take note of that with the highest approval," Holbrooke said. (The Washington File is a product of the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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