Security Council mission seeks peace in West Africa

A UN Security Council mission led by Ambassador Jeremy Greenstock of the United Kingdom, will visit seven West African countries from 15-23 May to examine prospects for peace in the conflict-plagued region, the UN reported on Wednesday. The mission to Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Nigeria, Liberia and Sierra Leone seeks to encourage closer regional cooperation. It will examine links between the conflicts in Cote d'Ivoire, Liberia and Sierra Leone and will assess progress towards protection of civilians affected by armed conflict, the Council president Munir Akram of Pakistan said in a letter to the Secretary General. In Cote d'Ivoire, where the government and rebels implemented a fresh ceasefire last weekend, the mission will call for full implementation of the January peace accord that paved the way for the creation of a government of national unity last month after seven months of civil war. The mission will also discuss with the Secretary-General's representative in Abidjan, Albert Tevoedjre, progress towards expanding the UN presence in Cote d'Ivoire. The Security Council representatives will also consider how to address insecurity along the western border with Liberia, which the latest ceasefire agreement was due to bring to an end. The government and rebels are due to hold a follow-up meeting in the rebel capital Bouake in central Cote d'Ivoire, on 18 May. While in Guinea-Bissau, the mission will urge the government to ensure forthcoming elections are free, fair and credible. Parliamentary elections in the former Portuguese colony had been due on 20 April, but were postponed to allow an update of the voters registers. President Kumba Iala disolved the country's last parliament in November. In Sierra Leone, the mission will assess the role of UN peace-keeping forces in restoring peace and security following a decade of civil war that ended in January 2002. The mandate of the the 15,000-strong force expires in 30 September. The strength of the UN Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) is being gradually reduced from 17,500 at its height last year to planned 5,000 in 2004. The mission will look at the security implications of downsizing UNAMSIL. In Liberia, the the Security Council mission will call for a ceasefire between the government and armed rebel groups and examine the response of the Liberian government to Council proposals for resolving the crisis in that country. It will also look at the chances for free and fair presidential elections that are scheduled for 14 October, given the fierce fighting between government and rebel forces throughout the country. The Security Council team will follow close on the heals of another UN mission that is currently visiting Liberia and which is due to report to a meeting of the International Contact Group on Liberia in Brussels on 12 May. On Tuesday, former Nigerian President Abulsalami Abubakar, who was last month appointed as a facilitator for peace talks by the Economic Community of West Africa (ECOWAS), called for an immediate ceasefire ahead of proposed peace negotiations in Accra, Ghana.