YouSaid · the spoken record

Rowe

lines on the record: 128
first: 1994-12-16
most recent: 2007-01-31
sittings or episodes: 13
sources: un-security-council

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“My delegation is confident that within the next few days the Secretary-General will announce the allocation of an appreciable amount from the Peacebuilding Fund that is commensurate with the special needs and critical priorities that we outlined in the Peacebuilding Commission last year.”
2007-01-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5627 (2007) · source
“We are encouraged by the commitment of the Peacebuilding Commission and the international community, especially those countries that have made generous contributions to the Peacebuilding Fund. We applaud them. We want just to take this opportunity today to make an appeal, in the form of a reminder that before the ruthless rebel war, Sierra Leone was one of the least developed countries of the world. The conflict made an already precarious situation even worse. While we share many or most of the problems that other post-conflict countries face, we should realize that Sierra Leone is, in a sense, unique. It should be treated according to its own particular circumstances.”
2007-01-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5627 (2007) · source
“My delegation notes with satisfaction that the most recent country-specific meeting of the Commission stressed that every effort should be made to deliver the Peacebuilding Fund country assistance envelope for Sierra Leone in January 2007 so that implementation of the agreed short-term priorities can commence immediately. The Sierra Leone delegation is aware that the processes of mobilizing and marshalling resources are complex. They obviously require extensive coordination and consultations at various levels - at the national level and at the international level. However, timely delivery of assistance is crucial to the success of the whole recovery process.”
2007-01-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5627 (2007) · source
“However, we should bear in mind - and I would like to emphasize this - that the Commission is expected to assist our countries in laying the foundation for sustainable development, to mobilize assistance and, I stress, to bring together all relevant actors to marshal resources and help ensure predictable financing for early recovery activities. This brings me to the issue of delivery, which is very close to our heart. My delegation believes that the most effective way that the international community can continue to demonstrate its continued engagement with Sierra Leone and other least developed countries emerging from conflict is through the timely delivery of the necessary assistance to meet the special needs of the countries concerned.”
2007-01-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5627 (2007) · source
“As far as achieving the objectives of the Peacebuilding Commission is concerned, the bottom line is "resources, resources, resources". Indeed, throughout the mandate of the Commission, the key words are "assistance" and "resources" - and we can look at the mandate and objectives again. Of course, the Commission was created to provide advice and propose integrated strategies for post-conflict recovery. Of course, its job i or part of its job - is to mobilize sustained international attention on the needs of our countries, even beyond the period of post-conflict recovery.”
2007-01-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5627 (2007) · source
“First of all, we should always bear in mind that the Commission is a special mechanism created to address the special needs of a special group or category of countries. Accordingly, the process of meeting those special needs may require some elements of creativity, flexibility and adaptability. Secondly, the mandate of the Peacebuilding Commission reflects a sense of urgency - we are in a hurry. If, indeed, the Commission is to help ensure that countries emerging from conflict do not relapse into conflict, and if provision has been made for the Commission to deal with any situation where a country is at risk of or already relapsing into armed conflict, it follows that the Commission and the international community must act speedily to avert imminent crisis.”
2007-01-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5627 (2007) · source
“Perhaps one could say that it is even too early to make a definitive and objective evaluation of its substantive work. However, in the view of my delegation, the results of the recent country-specific meetings augur well for the future success of the Commission. For Sierra Leone, a highlight of those meetings was the conclusion that an envelope of approximately $25 million was expected to be made available as an initial - I stress: initial - contribution towards the implementation of our priority programmes. It is in this regard that my delegation would like to emphasize that any assessment of the work of the Peacebuilding Commission must be based on its objectives and mandate as outlined in the relevant resolutions of the Security Council and the General Assembly.”
2007-01-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5627 (2007) · source
“My delegation would like to assure the Security Council that Sierra Leone will make good use of its position in this worthy experiment. We are committed to the integrated approach to peacebuilding that the United Nations has adopted in post-conflict peacebuilding leading to sustainable development. Sierra Leone had great expectations regarding the Commission. We saw it - and still see it - as a supplementary but effective instrument for facilitating the process of early post-conflict recovery. We have faith in its commitment to help us to address some of the problems and challenges that require urgent attention, and our expectations remain high. As others have pointed out, the Peacebuilding Commission is new. It is still going through the proverbial teething stage.”
2007-01-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5627 (2007) · source
“It has set the pace for a similar mechanism in Burundi. It will also be recalled that a few years ago Sierra Leone became the subject of another experiment: an experiment in transitional justice, in the form of a hybrid Special Court, based on national and international criminal law, to try individuals accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Incidentally, as we all know, that experiment has been working well but is facing funding problems. The Special Court cannot become a model without the financial resources necessary to conclude its work within the established time frame. Now Sierra Leone finds itself the subject of yet another experiment in post-conflict cooperation, namely, as a specific country under consideration by the new Peacebuilding Commission. We are occupying an enviable position.”
2007-01-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5627 (2007) · source
“It is an honour for Sierra Leone to have been selected as one of the first two countries to be placed on the agenda of the Peacebuilding Commission. It is also an honour for my delegation to speak as a country-specific participant at this meeting of the Security Council. We are grateful to the United Nations and the international community for their continued engagement with the situation in Sierra Leone following the devastating rebel war. That engagement has been demonstrated in many practical ways. For instance, following the successful peacekeeping operation - the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone - the Organization established its first Integrated Office in Sierra Leone. The Office - now in its second year - is, indeed, an experiment, and hopefully it will become a model of United Nations post-peacekeeping.”
2007-01-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5627 (2007) · source
“I think it is a shame that the recent United Nations Conference to Review Progress Made in the Implementation of the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects collapsed last month. We were also disappointed that following its recent debate on small arms (see S/PV.5390), the Security Council did not adopt any resolution on the issue. Those facts do not augur well for the consolidation of peace in the ECOWAS subregion, which is awash with those illegal and deadly weapons. However, we trust that there will be a change of attitude when the matter is brought before the Council again. Meanwhile, we look forward to the adoption of the draft presidential statement that will be issued at the close of this meeting.”
2006-08-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5509Resumption1 (2006) · source
“As we have witnessed, conflicts in the West African subregion have been exacerbated by cross- border movements of illegal small arms and light weapons and their ammunition, as well as of mercenaries. Many speakers, including my colleague from Senegal, have referred to this today. Indeed, the hard-won peace in countries such as Sierra Leone is threatened by increasing flows of these weapons. The United Nations and the international community can contribute effectively to the consolidation of peace in the ECOWAS subregion also by intensifying efforts to eradicate the illegal trade in small arms and light weapons, which have devastated the human and physical resources of the subregion.”
2006-08-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5509Resumption1 (2006) · source
“While it is the responsibility of each State in the subregion, including ours, to devise and implement policies and programmes aimed at the consolidation of peace and sustainable development, we strongly believe that the United Nations and the international community could make a tremendous contribution to our efforts by, first, mobilizing resources, as a matter of urgency, in support of the reconstruction and long- term development programmes of the countries of the subregion, most of which, including Sierra Leone, are among the least developed in the world; recognizing and responding to the linkage between the eradication of poverty, sustainable development and the maintenance and consolidation of peace; and recognizing the linkage between the consolidation of peace and the implementation of agreed guidelines and commitments in international trade and financing for development, including debt relief.”
2006-08-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5509Resumption1 (2006) · source
“It also took an unprecedented decision under Chapter VIII of the Charter to authorize ECOWAS to enforce an arms embargo against the rebel junta in Sierra Leone in 1997. ECOWAS needs the support of the United Nations and the international community to fulfil its primary objectives of economic cooperation and integration aimed at ensuring sustainable development in its member States. We appeal to the United Nations and the international community to strengthen their relations with ECOWAS and its specialized agencies and programmes.”
2006-08-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5509Resumption1 (2006) · source
“The consolidation of peace, in our View, is a development exercise, one which must be seen and addressed in the 06-46 124 context of our poverty alleviation programmes in the subregion. We consider ECOWAS to be an important and effective instrument for the consolidation of peace as well as for peacekeeping in the subregion. In spite of its limited logistical and other resources, ECOWAS, through its Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) has already demonstrated its capacity to help keep the peace. Who can forget, for instance, the important role that ECOMOG played in Sierra Leone before the deployment of United Nations peacekeeping forces? We note also that the Security Council itself commended ECOMOG and ECOWAS for what they had done.”
2006-08-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5509Resumption1 (2006) · source
“We are grateful that Sierra Leone is one of the two post-conflict countries on the agenda of the Commission, and we hope that our sister republics of Guinea-Bissau and Liberia, which are also recovering from devastating armed conflict, will also be considered by the Commission in the not-too-distant future. This morning, we heard several views on what constitutes the consolidation of peace. In our View, peace consolidation should not be seen merely as an effort to ensure that our countries do not slide back into conflict. The primary objective of the consolidation of peace, in our view, should be to attain sustainable development. This involves the mobilization of resources for economic and social reconstruction, including, of course, repairing the infrastructural and institutional damage resulting from conflict.”
2006-08-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5509Resumption1 (2006) · source
“Peacekeeping is an essential element, but not the only one in the process of creating the conditions for lasting peace in West Africa. Peacekeeping, in our view, must be undertaken in conjunction with peacebuilding, which has become synonymous with the consolidation of peace. In our View, the benefits of peacekeeping will be lost unless peacekeeping is accompanied by a comprehensive programme of measures for peace consolidation. The newly established Peacebuilding Commission, to which delegations have referred today, marks an acknowledgement of the necessity to build on the solid foundation laid by its peacekeepers, particularly those of the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL).”
2006-08-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5509Resumption1 (2006) · source
“Mr. President, my delegation would like to join others in welcoming you to New York to chair this debate on the consolidation of peace in West Africa, which is still one of the most volatile regions in the world in terms of peace and security. We regret that, due to unavoidable circumstances, my Foreign Minister was unable to attend and participate in this important meeting. We note that virtually all the speakers in this debate have made reference to my country, Sierra Leone, including, just a few minutes ago, my colleagues, the Permanent Representative of India and the representative of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya. We thank those who acknowledged the progress that we have made in becoming, perhaps, a model in post- conflict recovery. Due to time constraints, I will try to summarize my statement.”
2006-08-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5509Resumption1 (2006) · source
“What those regional and subregional organizations need most is the continued and sustained support of the international community. For its part, the Security Council must continue to monitor responses to and implementation of the recommendations it has formulated for strengthening collaboration among the various United Nations institutions, agencies, programmes and partners. The emphasis should remain on an integrated approach to conflict prevention and development in West Africa.”
2005-02-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5131 (2005) · source
“Of course, we agree with the Secretary-General that the primary responsibility for promoting peace and stability in the region rests with West African leaders and communities themselves. However, we should emphasize that we in West Africa already have in place appropriate institutions and mechanisms for the promotion of regional and subregional economic cooperation and integration, such as ECOWAS and the Mano River Union. In spite of obvious constraints, they have already demonstrated a propensity - indeed, the capability - for conflict prevention, development and even peacekeeping. We in Sierra Leone know what ECOWAS did for us during those dark, dark days before - and I emphasize before - the deployment of the United Nations Observer Mission in Sierra Leone and the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone.”
2005-02-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5131 (2005) · source
“Experience over the past 10 years has taught us in West Africa that we can no longer remain complacent about the existence of a few pockets of stability here and there, while other spots of the region are collapsing as a result of prolonged armed conflict. Youth unemployment in West Africa must be addressed as a matter of priority at the national, regional and subregional levels. Indeed, measures to reduce youth unemployment should be regarded as key to conflict prevention, peacebuilding and development. Those measures transcend the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of ex-combatants. As we say in Sierra Leone, hundreds of thousands of young people never handled weapons. They were not combatants. They need to be integrated - not necessarily reintegrated - into the mainstream of society.”
2005-02-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5131 (2005) · source
“The state of youth unemployment manifests itself in such regional and cross-border problems as mercenarism, rebel recruitment, the circulation and use of illicit small arms and light weapons and illicit mining. We wholeheartedly agree with the Secretary- General that first, the growing numbers of young men and women who lack the prospect of ever being able to work for a decent living are a major threat to the future of the subregion and, secondly, that the shocking levels of youth unemployment and the desperation that accompanies it not only could undermine any progress that countries such as Sierra Leone may have made, but also carry a real risk of destroying the political and social structures of currently stable countries.”
2005-02-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5131 (2005) · source
“As the representative of the United Kingdom eloquently noted this morning, we must move from the mode of rhetoric to the mode of substance, in the form of a legally binding commitment to deal with that scourge. One cannot speak about subregional and cross- border problems in West Africa without referring to the situation of youth, or what the Secretary-General rightly describes in his report as the shocking levels of youth unemployment in West Africa. That is the heart of the matter, and therein lies perhaps the most viable, effective and long-lasting means of dealing with conflict prevention, peacebuilding and development in the subregion.”
2005-02-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5131 (2005) · source
“We acknowledge, in that connection, the support of the European Union and others for upgrading the moratorium. Now that efforts are under way to convert the moratorium into a legally binding instrument, we believe that the Security Council should also send the same signal to the wider international community concerning the devastating effects of the proliferation of small arms and light weapons. It can do so by pronouncing itself unequivocally on the need for an international legally binding instrument on the tracing and marking of illicit small arms and light weapons. In our view, that would constitute a significant contribution to our efforts to combat subregional and cross-border problems in West Africa. A non-binding instrument or political declaration is not enough.”
2005-02-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5131 (2005) · source
“In his latest report, the Secretary-General has listed some of the areas where, in his view, much more remains to be done for a more effective contribution to conflict prevention and peacebuilding in West Africa. He mentions, for example, the need to convert the ECOWAS moratorium on the importation, exportation and manufacture of small arms and light weapons in West Africa into a legally binding instrument. Sierra Leone shares the view of the Secretary-General that such conversion of the moratorium would send a strong signal to development partners and the wider international community that West African Governments are themselves prepared to address decisively the devastating effects of the proliferation of small arms - a major contributing factor to political, economic and social instability in the region.”
2005-02-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5131 (2005) · source
“This week's meeting in Koindu should be seen as an important contribution to the integrated strategies, described by the Secretary-General in his report, for stabilizing border areas. My delegation also takes this opportunity to mention another recent development in addressing what may be perceived as a potential cross-border problem. My colleague the representative of Guinea briefly referred to it earlier. This is the so-called Yenga problem between Sierra Leone and Guinea - something which, unfortunately, has been grossly exaggerated. The Security Council should take note of the Sierra Leonean proposal for an independent group of consultants, preferably under the aegis of the United Nations and working with experts from both countries, to replace the beacons that are missing along the border that had already been demarcated.”
2005-02-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5131 (2005) · source
“In the presence of their heads of State or Government, the Kissi parliamentarians, chiefs and elders resolved, among other things, that there is an urgent need to support their respective Governments to implement the regional and subregional protocols relating to peace, security and the free movement of people, goods and services in the subregion. Perhaps the most significant part of their communique was a request for the Governments of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, to facilitate the establishment of international markets at Koindu, Gueckedou and Foya, and to improve the road network to facilitate easy access to those markets. The Security Council may recall the serious humanitarian and refugee situation that arose in the areas of Gueckedou and Parrot's Beak almost four years ago, following a series of cross-border armed attacks.”
2005-02-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5131 (2005) · source
“In that connection, the Security Council will be interested to know that earlier this week, parliamentarians, chiefs and elders from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, all ethnic Kissi people, met at Koindu, a border town in the Kailahun district of Sierra Leone, in a historic step towards the consolidation of subregional peace and stability. Until the rebel war and other armed incursions into the area, Koindu was a thriving international market serving the three countries of the Mano River Union.”
2005-02-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5131 (2005) · source
“Sir, my delegation too shares the view expressed by others that your presence here underscores the significance that Benin attaches to the role that the Security Council can play in the maintenance of peace and security in our West African subregion. The latest report of the Secretary-General (S/2005/86) - and we thank him for introducing it personally today - once again covers the entire spectrum of the steps now under way or being proposed to help combat subregional and cross-border problems in West Africa. My delegation would like to offer some brief comments on the observations and conclusions contained in that latest report. The Secretary-General states in the report that many of the border problems require joint efforts by the countries and peoples concerned, including civil society and its organizations and local communities.”
2005-02-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5131 (2005) · source
“Let me conclude by reminding the Council that the success story of the United Nations peacekeeping operation in Sierra Leone will never be complete without adequate and sustained support for post- conflict national reconciliation, bearing in mind that national reconciliation is the guarantee for lasting peace, security and development.”
2004-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4903Resumption1 (2004) · source
“The role of regional organizations such as ECOWAS, with the support and collaboration of the United Nations, in regional and bilateral reconciliation will be critical in that respect. In conclusion, post-conflict national reconciliation can be a long and expensive process, depending, of course, on the cause, duration, character and effects of the conflict and the willingness or readiness of the parties to the conflict to reconcile. The best results can be achieved if these issues are addressed immediately after the cessation of active hostilities. A vacuum can result in costly reversals, and since the United Nations cannot afford reversals in its peacekeeping efforts, post-conflict national reconciliation should be compulsory and of high priority on its peacekeeping operations agenda.”
2004-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4903Resumption1 (2004) · source
“Seventh, the United Nations should actively support the process of reintegration as an essential component of national reconciliation, with special focus on ex-combatants. Although this debate is on post-conflict national reconciliation, I would like to remind everyone that there is hardly any conflict in the world today without a regional and/or international dimension - at least, I cannot think of any conflict in Africa today that is an exception to that. Measures to address post-conflict national reconciliation, therefore, should go beyond national boundaries and actively engage external players. The fact is that the fate of some countries in conflict is inextricably bound up with the fate of neighbouring countries.”
2004-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4903Resumption1 (2004) · source
“Fourth, the United Nations should conduct a comprehensive assessment of the post-conflict national reconciliation needs of every conflict, bearing in mind the causes, nature and consequences of the conflict and the welfare of the victims, who are critical in national reconciliation. Fifth, a United Nations committee to facilitate and coordinate the reconciliation activities of every post-conflict situation should be formed. Sixth, a mechanism for post-conflict reconciliation should be included in all peace agreements, as in, for example, the Sierra Leone 1999 Lorne Peace Agreement, in which some mechanisms - notably a Truth and Reconciliation Commission, a Commission for the Consolidation of Peace and a National Commission for Democracy and Human Rights - were provided for.”
2004-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4903Resumption1 (2004) · source
“First, since the post-conflict phase is absolutely critical in the transition from conflict to durable peace, it should be made an integral part of all United Nations peacekeeping operations. Second, as the most important element of the post-conflict phase, national reconciliation activities should be adequately funded and intensively and extensively monitored and evaluated by the United Nations. Properly designed and executed, post-conflict programmes can serve as a barometer of successes in the peace process. Third, the United Nations should work closely with civil society groups, formal and non-formal institutions, and traditional and cultural leaders to promote national reconciliation in post-conflict phases.”
2004-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4903Resumption1 (2004) · source
“They demonstrate that the United Nations is in fact playing major roles in post-conflict national reconciliation, especially to ensure that people are held accountable for human rights excesses in conflict, to promote the rule of law, to eliminate the culture of impunity and to promote constitutionally legitimate ascendancy to political leadership - all of which have considerable contributions to make to national reconciliation. Already, United Nations agencies, notably the United Nations Development Programme and the United Nations Children's Fund, are engaged in activities that are fundamental to national reconciliation in Sierra Leone. In my delegation's view, therefore, the United Nations should now expand these activities in the following ways.”
2004-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4903Resumption1 (2004) · source
“The fact that both our President and the minority leader of Parliament have testified before the Commission emphasizes the importance the leaders and people of Sierra Leone attach to it as a national reconciliation mechanism. On the other hand, the Special Court has been set up to try those who bear the greatest responsibility for human rights excesses committed in the conflict, thus facilitating national reconciliation through justice. The history and operation of these two transitional post-conflict institutions in Sierra Leone, especially the Special Court, and similar institutions elsewhere are very well known to this Council. The Special Court in particular is a joint creation of Sierra Leone and the United Nations.”
2004-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4903Resumption1 (2004) · source
“These are the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the Special Court, established on the principles that meaningful peace is possible only with proper understanding of the causes and character of the conflict, and that peace without justice is like a house without foundation. Specifically, the Commission, with no punitive power, has the responsibility to create an impartial historical record of violations and abuses of human rights and international humanitarian law related to the armed conflict in Sierra Leone, to address impunity and respond to the needs of victims, to promote healing and reconciliation, and to prevent a repetition of the violations and abuses suffered.”
2004-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4903Resumption1 (2004) · source
“We are aware that these differences can only disappear if the wounds of the war are healed and the scars are seen only as reminders of conflict-relapse prevention. We are also aware that genuine national reconciliation is a process that is driven by the courage to forgive, the common sense of peaceful coexistence, a deep sense of belonging that compels parties to the conflict to compromise in the interest of their country, and the desire to participate in the effort to address the issues that engender discord. In its quest to promote national reconciliation as the pivot of durable peace, Sierra Leone has instituted two accountability mechanisms that are running rather uniquely concurrently.”
2004-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4903Resumption1 (2004) · source
“The fact that we are here to define the role of the United Nations in this phase of the peace process underscores the Council's understanding of the decisive significance of the phase in the pursuance of sustainable peace. While our contribution to the debate is based mainly on our own situation, there is no doubt that what obtains in Sierra Leone could be applied to other post-conflict situations, especially in Africa. Our practical experience in Sierra Leone irrefutably confirms that reconciliation is the single most important aspect of post-conflict peace management. The guns may be silent - and, indeed, they have been silent for nearly two years now - but the divisions remain and reveal themselves in many ways, some in subtle ways, others in overt ways.”
2004-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4903Resumption1 (2004) · source
“This is the fourth statement in two weeks by the delegation of Sierra Leone in the Security Council. The frequency of our appearance before the Council within this short period is an indication of the relevance to Sierra Leone of the issues on the Council's agenda and of the high level of seriousness our Government attaches to these issues. To Sierra Leone, a poor country struggling to recover from one of the most horrendous conflicts in recent years, these issues are matters of life and death. My delegation appreciates the opportunity to express its views on them. As a country in a post-conflict phase, Sierra Leone heartily welcomes this debate on the role of the United Nations in post-conflict national reconciliation.”
2004-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4903Resumption1 (2004) · source
“We have no doubt that the Council will also take into consideration, and take due account of, the views of the Government of Sierra Leone in determining the future of UNAMSIL's operations.”
2004-01-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4899 (2004) · source
“We share the view of the Secretary-General that progress in strengthening the capacity of the army and the police to take over national security responsibilities from UNAMSIL constitutes a key security benchmark that should guide the drawdown and withdrawal of the operation. In this connection, we commend the Secretary- General for his decision to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the benchmarks for the drawdown and withdrawal plan, as well as the progress that we Sierra Leoneans have made in consolidating peace and stability in the country. We hope the Security Council will take due account of the Secretary-General's observations and recommendations to be derived from that assessment.”
2004-01-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4899 (2004) · source
“What is the use of boasting about a professional and loyal army when that army's mobility and communications system are severely restricted? The Secretary-General points to the lamentable state of the armed forces' vehicle fleet and the shortage of communication equipment. Here, we recall the so- called inability of UNAMSIL to defend itself when the rebels attacked in May 2000. UNAMSIL would not have completed or performed its functions well if it had not been fully equipped. We urge the Security Council to give this infrastructure constraint the priority consideration it deserves. This is at the core of the whole withdrawal plan.”
2004-01-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4899 (2004) · source
“However, we must have the capacity to deter any repetition of the 1991 rebel invasion across our eastern border. At this stage we can say that the prospects for assuming full responsibility for our national security and safety when UNAMSIL leaves are good - perhaps very good. However, as the Secretary-General has observed, there are a number of outstanding problems that need urgent attention. First and foremost is the need for additional resources to enhance the overall capacity of the army and the police to assume their responsibilities. It is not enough to train the police and military and deploy them to areas vacated by UNAMSIL without providing them with an infrastructure, such as police stations, military and police barracks.”
2004-01-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4899 (2004) · source
“Sierra Leone is fully aware of this linkage. Who could forget that the rebel war was launched and, to a large extent, directed from Liberia? The Secretary-General himself recognizes this and refers to it in his progress report on the recommendations of the mission to West Africa. He mentions, for instance, the ongoing efforts to stabilize Liberia and their impact in the subregion, as well as the contribution of the joint UNAMSIL-Sierra Leone military forces operation in tightening control over the border areas. However, he correctly points out that those areas remain a significant security challenge. The Council should take particular note of this problem. Trends towards peace and stability in Liberia augur well for the consolidation of peace in Sierra Leone.”
2004-01-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4899 (2004) · source
“We share his conclusion that progress has been made in the gradual handover of responsibility for the national security of Sierra Leone to the Sierra Leone police and military. Only those who know and experienced what really happened in Sierra Leone - for instance, the role of the "sobels" or soldiers-turned-rebels, and the targeting of police stations in acts of arson and murder - would appreciate the progress we have made in the security and safety sectors. This brings me to the second recommendation of the Security Council mission to West Africa concerning Sierra Leone. It relates to another linkage. The mission suggests that the Security Council should recognize the importance of the linkage between establishing peace in neighbouring Liberia and consolidating stability in Sierra Leone and the Mano River Union subregion.”
2004-01-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4899 (2004) · source
“Thanks to ECOMOG, UNAMSIL and its troop contributors, the International Military Advisory Training Team (IMATT) led by the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth and others, we can take pride in the fact that we have a restructured, professional, disciplined and loyal armed force and police force willing and ready to play their part in ensuring the defence and the safety of the people of Sierra Leone. The Secretary-General's report provides a detailed account of the various elements of the current security situation. We note, for instance, his statement to the effect that, since September 2002, when the drawdown was launched, UNAMSIL troops have withdrawn from a number of strategically important areas and handed them over to the Sierra Leone police.”
2004-01-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4899 (2004) · source
“However, they were shocked and dismayed to see ECOMOG leave at a time when there was concern about an emerging security vacuum. The population dreaded the possibility - or the reality - of the premature removal of their security blanket. They remembered the marvellous job performed by ECOMOG, especially during those dark days when the rebels launched their ruthless killing campaign, ignominiously labelled "Operation no living thing". In 1999, during the peace talks in Lome, the rebels repeatedly ridiculed us. They said that we had no army. Today, the situation is different.”
2004-01-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4899 (2004) · source
“The first relates to the linkage between the drawdown or withdrawal of UNAMSIL and the capacity of the Republic of Sierra Leone armed forces and the Sierra Leone police to assume their responsibilities for the security and safety of the country. The question is, what will happen as UNAMSIL phases out its operation, and what will happen when it leaves? The Security Council mission to West Africa recommended that the Government intensify its efforts to develop the capacity of the army and police to ensure security when UNAMSIL leaves, as projected by the end of 2004. Before I go any further, let me say that the people of Sierra Leone never expected the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) to stay in the country indefinitely.”
2004-01-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4899 (2004) · source
“Each visiting mission enhances the ability of the Council to make pragmatic decisions on the peacekeeping and peacemaking processes in the respective theatres of conflict. This was the Council's second visit to Sierra Leone, a country which until recently hosted the largest number of United Nations peacekeeping forces. The Security Council mission to West Africa came up with eight recommendations concerning Sierra Leone. The progress report on those recommendations should be considered in tandem with a subsequent report by the Secretary-General on the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL), published exactly four weeks ago today. I should like to speak about just two of those recommendations.”
2004-01-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.4899 (2004) · source