UN making progress in stabilizing Liberia but many challenges lie ahead – Annan

The United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) continues to make progress in stabilizing the West African country after it was torn apart by nearly 15 years of civil war, but many challenges lie ahead as it prepares for democratic elections, and international aid is urgently needed, Secretary-General Kofi Annan says in a new report.

The United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) continues to make progress in stabilizing the West African country after it was torn apart by nearly 15 years of civil war, but many challenges lie ahead as it prepares for democratic elections, and international aid is urgently needed, Secretary-General Kofi Annan says in a new a report.

“The process of restoring effective administrative structures will require continuing engagement by developing partners, in terms of the provision of both technical experts and funds,” Mr. Annan states in the report, in which he recommends extending the Mission’s mandate for another 12 months until 19 September 2005.

He notes serious shortfalls in financing the programme to reintegrate some 70,000 ex-combatants who have been disarmed and urgently calls for “further generous pledges” of international aid for this, for the preparation of presidential and legislative elections in October 2005 for which “much remains to be done,” and for the repatriation of refugees, resettlement of internally displaced persons and other humanitarian needs.

But he also highlights “significant achievements” such as the actual disarmament of the former fighters and the nearly complete deployment of UNMIL troops throughout the country, with the resulting improvement in security greatly facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid and the restoration of state authority.

He expresses concern, however, at the problems the National Transitional Government is encountering in functioning as a cohesive administration due to protracted partisan disputes over government and other posts and violent divisions within one of the participating rebel groups, Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD).

“At this critical juncture, the parties concerned should put the national interest above personal interests and ensure that differences are resolved so that the restoration of stability in the country can proceed without delay,” he says.

After presenting the report to the Security Council today, Mr. Annan’s Special Representative Jacques Paul Klein told reporters: “We know that Liberia is the key to West Africa. We must have a Liberia that has long-term stability, that is reintegrated into the family of nations and that gets the economic support from around the world to rebuild civil society.

“We have a great deal of work to do yet. We shouldn’t delude ourselves,” he said, adding: “We had universal support (from the 15-member body). Everybody understands how difficult this mission is.”

UNMIL, with more than 15,000 military and police personnel on the ground, was established by the Security Council on 19 September 2003 to support the ceasefire and peace process that ended the long-running civil war with its toll of 150,000 dead and nearly a million people driven from their homes.

Mr. Annan notes that the ceasefire between the troops of former President Charles Taylor and the rebel forces, LURD and the Movement for Democracy in Liberia (MODEL), has generally held, but he voices concern at the increased frequency of minor crimes and violent civil incidents, such as rioting and looting.

He also reports that several core initiatives undertaken by UNMIL to reform the Liberian security sector have begun to bear fruit, such as police recruitment, strengthening the presence of government officials at the borders and deploying civil affairs officers to all 15 counties.

“It is essential that State authority is restored throughout the country to ensure the maintenance of security, to establish the conditions for the hold of free and fair presidential and legislative elections in October, 2005, and to ensure the transparent and proper management of the country’s considerable natural resources,” Mr. Annan concludes.

Mr. Klein told reporters the failure to hand over former president Taylor, in exile in Nigeria, to the Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL), where he has faces a 17-count indictment for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the 14-year conflict in that country, had a “very real” impact on the situation in Liberia.

He stressed to the Council that there was a quite a large class of Liberians who were ready to help the international community rehabilitate the country if they knew Mr. Taylor was before the court in neighbouring Sierra Leone. But until that happens they are not going to “stick their necks out,” he said, adding: “So he still is a cloud that hangs over much of what we do.”

Video of press remarks [10mins]