West Africa: Security Council mission briefed on Liberian peace talks2 July – A United Nations Security Council delegation on a seven-country assessment mission in conflict-plagued West Africa, arrived in Ghana today for a briefing on the status of the Liberian peace talks underway in Accra.
Headed by Ambassador Jeremy Greenstock of the United Kingdom, the Security Council mission to West Africa left Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, this morning for Accra, Ghana, where it began with a briefing on the status of the Liberian peace talks by the Representative of the Secretary-General for Liberia, Abou Moussa.
The delegation will also be briefed on the peace talks by members of the International Contact Group on Liberia, Dr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas, Executive Secretary of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, ECOWAS mediator for Liberia.
Before leaving for Conakry, Guinea this evening, the Council members were also expected to meet with representatives of the Government of Liberia, and representatives of the two rebel movements, Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) and the Movement for Democracy and Elections in Liberia (MODEL), political parties and civil society organizations.
In Abidjan yesterday, the mission held discussions with a range of actors, including Ivoirian President Laurent Gbagbo, Prime Minister Seydou Diarra, the military and civilian leadership of the "Forces Nouvelles," political parties, and civil society, to urge full implementation of the Linas-Marcoussis peace agreement, signed in January 2003, and respect for the cease-fire.
Speaking at a press conference yesterday, Ambassador Greenstock said that during the course of the day's discussions, the Council members imparted a simple message: "We are here to help in the implementation of Linas-Marcoussis because we recognize that there are a lot of difficulties in this country in doing so on both sides."
|
NEWSLETTER
|
|
Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list
|
|
|
