December 12, 2002
The Security Council expressed concern Friday about the civil conflict in the west African nation of Liberia, saying it was causing great humanitarian suffering and threatening stability in the region.
A statement read by council president, Colombia's UN Ambassador Alfonso Valdivieso, singled out the success of international efforts in resolving a brutal conflict in neighbouring Sierra Leone but said that peace process also remains fragile.
"The Security Council is deeply concerned about the situation in Liberia and the threat it constitutes to international peace and security in the region," the statement said.
The council said the internal conflict and violence, including armed attacks by a northern-based rebel movement, Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy, or LURD, also was producing a refugee crisis and promoting the movement of insurgents and weapons in the area.
'President must engage'
The Security Council called for co-operation from the government and the international community to reach a cease-fire, establish an inclusive peace process, develop a stable and democratic political process, and stop the illegal flow of weapons.
"Peace and security in the Mano River Union region requires the president of Liberia to engage constructively with the international community ... to achieve national reconciliation and political reform in Liberia," the statement said. "Liberia's co-operation is also essential to restore fully relations with its neighbours and to normalise its relations with the international community," it added.
The statement stressed the importance of input from regional groups including the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States. It also called for an expanded role for UN groups in the area to strengthen democratic institutions and help prepare free and fair elections next year. The LURD has been fighting since 1999 to oust President Charles Taylor, a former warlord who won presidential elections in 1997 - seven years after he launched a civil war that killed more than 150 000 people.
The Security Council approved an arms embargo, a travel ban on senior Liberian officials and a diamond embargo in May 2001 after determining that Taylor's government had given military and financial support that let rebels in Sierra Leone wage their decade-long war against the government there. It renewed the sanctions earlier this year.
The council's statement condemned what it called the failure of the government and rebels to comply with its demands and said it was considering sending a mission to the region to assess the situation next year.
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