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Security Council agrees to extend and boost UN mission in Sierra Leone
4 August -- The United Nations Security Council today unanimously approved a resolution to extend the mandate - and strengthen the capacity - of the UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL).

In the resolution, which followed yesterday's briefing by UNAMSIL Force Commander Vijay Jetley, the Council renewed the Mission through 8 September, and said that its military component "should be reinforced through accelerated troop rotations [and] with further aviation and maritime assets, a strengthened force reserve, upgraded communications and specialist combat and logistic support assets."

The successful achievement of UNAMSIL's objectives would depend on the provision of fully equipped peacekeeping units, with the required capabilities and the commitment to implement the mandate of the Mission in full, the Council stressed.

Speaking to the press after the Council's decision, Ambassador Jeremy Greenstock of the United Kingdom, which sponsored the resolution, said that the Security Council was going to continue reinforcing UNAMSIL's capability to deal with the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) until the rebels realized that the military option was "pointless."

"Given that [UNAMSIL soldiers] are still being threatened by a pretty brutal rebel force in Sierra Leone, which is also harassing and murdering the population, and illegally exploiting the diamond-bearing areas, it is time for the RUF to take a decision to stop their fighting, to stop opposing the Government, and to take the political route to a resolution of this problem," Ambassador Greenstock said.

Prior to the vote on the resolution, the Security Council discussed Secretary-General Kofi Annan's report in which he informed Council members of his intention to submit proposals on the further strengthening of UNAMSIL, after a thorough assessment of the political and military situation in the country.

In his report, Mr. Annan also stated that the peace process had suffered very serious setbacks due to the recent unprovoked armed attacks on UN peacekeepers, the detention of several hundred UN personnel, and the destruction of disarmament and demobilization camps by RUF fighters. He stressed that political pressure on the RUF must be supported by a strong military posture, including on the part of the UN, to deter the rebels from pursuing the military option.

Also under discussion by Council members this morning was the possibility of sending a Council mission to Sierra Leone later in the year.