Guinea, Liberia agree to live in peace

After weeks of trading accusations of supporting insurgents fighting each other's governments, Guinea and Liberia pledged on Thursday to end hostilities immediately and live in peace. They made the undertaking at an emergency summit in Abuja, Nigeria, called by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to ease the tension between the two countries. Presidents Lansana Conte of Guinea and Charles Taylor of Liberia agreed at the summit to abide by a mutual defence pact that requires members of the 16-nation community to refrain from supporting anti-government rebels. "We, heads of state and government are determined to re-establish good neighbourliness, and security - without delay," they said in a joint communique signed with other ECOWAS heads. Tensions rose to an all-time high this month when Guinea threatened to retaliate against Liberia for attacks on Guinean villages. Liberia denied any involvement in the attacks. Conte and Taylor are now required to establish direct lines of communication for regular consultations, according to the communique. Guinea, Liberia and their common neighbour, Sierra Leone, have also pledged to provide each other with a list of persons engaged in subversive activities in their territories. Thursday's meeting appealed for international help to enable Guinea and Liberia to care for the tens of thousands of refugees on their territories. All three countries host refugees as a result of wars in Liberia and Sierra Leone. The heads urged the refugees to abstain from subversive activities and agreed to form a joint committee to ensure security along their common borders. The three leaders are due to meet in Freetown in the first week in November to reactivate the Mano River Union (MRU) development bloc which links their countries.