Parliament concerned by rebels blocking peace

The Sierra Leonean parliament unanimously adopted on Tuesday a resolution expressing "grave concern" about the obstacles put in the path of the peace process by rebel forces, according to an official document faxed to IRIN. Ahmed Dumbuya, the parliamentarian who moved the motion, said the concerns included the "extreme slow pace of the implementation of the Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) programme due to the lack of cooperation from Revolutionary United Front (RUF) and ex-Sierra Leone Army (SLA) forces". Legislators also noted the continued occupation of large areas of the country by RUF and SLA forces, which prevented people from moving freely and living normally, and the continued "flagrant disregard" of many of the provisions of the Lome Peace Agreement, signed in July. The parliament decided to invite the leader of the RUF Party (RUFP), Foday Sankoh, and the former leader of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) junta, Johnny Paul Koroma, to hold immediate discussions to speed up the peace process.