Security Council delegation in West Africa meets Nigerian president

A United Nations Security Council delegation hoping to deepen the partnership between the international community and the countries of West Africa, has met with top officials and regional players in Nigeria to discuss the problems facing Guinea-Bissau, Côte' d'Ivoire and Liberia.

According to a UN spokesman in New York, the Security Council to West Africa mission travelled to Nigeria's capital Abuja yesterday to meet with President Olusegun Obasanjo, the Executive Secretary of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Dr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas and other ECOWAS officials.

Speaking to the press following those meetings, mission leader Ambassador Jeremy Greenstock of the United Kingdom said that while the problems facing Guinea-Bissau, Côte d'Ivoire and Liberia were the focus of the current visit, the Council would also be looking in on Guinea and Sierra Leone, "because we wish to take forward the relationship between the countries of the Mono River Union now that there is a better chance for lasting peace in Sierra Leone."

But, over the next few days, the mission particularly hoped to help further peace and reconciliation in Côte d'Ivoire under the Linas-Marcoussis Agreement, a French-brokered peace accord reached in January that calls on the government, rebels and political opposition to share power in a transitional government until elections in 2005.

On Liberia, Ambassador Greenstock said the Council members wished to "help ECOWAS…turn what is a very fragile ceasefire into a political agreement that will mean the end of factional government … and to a new transitional government after elections, which will serve the whole people of Liberia without discrimination."

He noted the likelihood that the Council would be "supportive" of a force for Liberia, adding that it was made clear to the delegation that ECOWAS would need help in this regard. "This help could come in a variety of forms from a variety of nations," he said.

From Abuja, the Mission travelled yesterday afternoon to Accra, Ghana, from where it is travelling today to Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.

The mission began on Friday in Guinea-Bissau, where at the end of the two-day visit, Mexican Ambassador Adolfo Aguilar Zinser, acting head of the Mission, said, "We leave confident that the President will be ready to announce a new date for the elections very soon."