Liberia crisis, a threat to security in West Africa - Ambassador

Accra, Aug. 9, GNA - The attention of the international community has been focused on the Liberian conflict because of its grave humanitarian consequences and the threat it poses to the West Africa Sub-Region, Mr Isaac Aggrey, Ghana's Acting Ambassador to the United States, observed on Friday night.

He said, "peace could not be sustained in Liberia after the 1997 ECOWAS-inspired elections, which brought President Charles Taylor to power principally because he caused the withdrawal of ECOWAS troops after his electoral victory and ruled Liberia with his personal militia to the total exclusion of other stakeholders in the Liberian political landscape".

Mr Aggrey was speaking on behalf of ECOWAS at a donor's meeting on Liberia, hosted by the Bureau of African Affairs at the U.S Department of State in Washington.

The meeting assessed the situation in Liberia and discussed how international financial and logistic support could be mobilised to assist ECOMIL, the ECOWAS Vanguard Force in Liberia.

He said the deployment of ECOMIL to Liberia on the authority of the Heads of States of ECOWAS was due to the expectation that the international community would assist.

Mr Aggrey said the Force, which would comprise two battalions of Nigerian troops totalling 1,500 and contingents from Ghana, Mali, Togo, Senegal and Benin was expected to address the grave humanitarian situation and hold the belligerent parties at bay until the arrival of United Nation Peacekeepers at the end of October.

The meeting discussed issues such as update on ECOWAS planning, US commitment of support, funding shortfalls in support for ECOMIL and the setting up of a Trust Fund in Accra to receive donation.

Representatives from various embassies took turns to announce the contributions their respective countries were making.

The United Kingdom Government is committing millions of pounds sterling to pay the per diem of Nigerian troops and 2.7 million pounds for humanitarian activities, while France gives 20 million Euros direct assistance to ECOMOG and airlift African contingents to Liberia.

The European Union (EU) would contribute five million Euros immediately and increase it to 15 million Euros to support the payment of the per diem of the troops and accommodation.

Sweden would give more than six million dollars in humanitarian assistance;

Germany, 1.2 million Euros to aid international Red Cross; The Netherlands would give one million dollars in military assistance and Italy has donated drugs worth 160,000 dollars.