Situation in Liberia threat to regional peace and stability - Security Council

The United Nations Security Council today expressed its deep concern with the situation in Liberia, where conflict between the Government and a rebel group threatens to further destabilize the entire region.

"The internal conflict and significant violence in Liberia are producing widespread refugee flows and displacement of people in Liberia, exacerbating the humanitarian situation and fuelling the movement of irregular combatants and the flow of weapons throughout the region," the Council said in a statement read out at an open meeting by its President, Ambassador Alfonso Valdivieso of Colombia.

The Council proposed the development of a comprehensive international strategy to address the situation, and said it was considering an assessment mission to the region in the first half of 2003.

As part of the strategy, the Council would maintain its support for the Rabat Process, under the sponsorship of the King of Morocco, and strongly encouraged Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia to follow-up on measures toward building confidence and security.

In its statement, the Council also recognized that the success of a comprehensive international strategy for Liberia rested on such regional organizations working in accordance with their mandates and with the UN offices in the region. In that light, the Council expressed its commitment to promote an expanded role for the UN Peace-building Support Office in Liberia (UNOL).