Annan names another panel of experts on sanctions

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan named a panel of experts on Monday to conduct a mission to Liberia and neighbouring countries to probe compliance with UN Security Council sanctions against the Liberian government, the UN reported on Monday.

The experts, expected to serve for three months, are: Atabou Bodian, a Senegalese who works with the International Civil Aviation Organization; Johan Peleman, a Belgian arms and transportation expert; Harjit Singh Sandhu, an Indian INTERPOL official; and British diamond expert Alex Vines.

"The panel will investigate and compile a report on the Liberian government's compliance with the demands contained in a Council resolution adopted last year and extended for 12 more months on 6 May", UN News said. Among other things, the Council had called on Monrovia to stop giving financial and military support to the former rebel Revolutionary United Front in neighbouring Sierra Leone.

The report of the panel would also cover the potential economic, humanitarian and social impact of the sanctions, which include an arms embargo, a travel ban on government officials and a prohibition on the import of rough diamonds from Liberia.

This is the third time that Annan has constituted a panel of experts on the Liberia sanctions. The first panel recommended maintaining the sanctions, while the second proposed the easing of some of the measures.

Meanwhile Annan on Friday named Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, a Mauritanian senior diplomat as his Special Representative for West Africa. Ould-Abdallah is currently the Executive Director of Global Coalition for Africa.

Also named was Ibrahima Fall, a former UN Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs as the Secretary-General's Special Representative for the Great Lakes Region, replacing Berhanu Dinka who is now the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Burundi.