Warring parties succeed in demand for more top jobs

The three armed factions in Liberia have succeeded in pressing their demands for more top jobs in the broad-based transitional government led by Chairman Gyude Bryant, a senior government source said. The source told IRIN on Tuesday that "for the sake of peace" Bryant had agreed to give 51 of the 86 assistant minister positions in government to followers of former the former president Charles Taylor and two rebel movements; Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) and the Movement for Democracy in Liberia (MODEL). The deal, thrashed out over the Christmas holiday, means fewer top jobs in government for the unarmed political parties and civil society groups that also signed the August 2003 peace agreement that ended 14 years of civil war. "During the process of negotiations, it was agreed that each of the warring parties would receive 17 out of the 86 assistant ministerial posts in government and since then Chairman has begun issuing letters to some of those nominees", the source said. Representatives of the former government of Liberia, LURD and MODEL confirmed that a deal had been done and said some of the new appointees of the warring parties had already taken up their new posts. However, Bryant's official spokesman, Spencer Browne said a final agrement on how to share out the jobs had not yet been reached. "Negotiations have begun to resolve it, but thus far nothing has been settled," he told IRIN. The issue is very sensitive for Bryant since last month the three armed factions threatened not to start the process of disarmament until they were given the additional top jobs they were demanding. Jacques Klein, the head of the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), responded by categorically ruled out any link between jobs and disarmament. This left Bryant, a former businessman, to settle the issue with the warring parties on his own. Bryant suggested at first that the appointment of all assistant ministers be shelved for a year in order to help the government save money. But in the end, the armed factions prevailed. Mohamed Sheriff, the head of the LURD's Monrovia office, told IRIN: "It was because of our pressure we mounted that the matter was settled. Some of our assistant ministerial nominees have been receiving letters from Chairman Gyude Bryant and in fact one of them took office yesterday (Monday)." He confirmed that LURD had been awarded 17 assistant ministerial posts, adding:"We have no problems with assistant ministers positions now." MODEL's co-chairman military commander, General Boi Blehju Boi, also told IRIN that some of MODEL's nominees for assistant minister portfolios had begun receiving their letters of appointment from Bryant's office. "A few of them have since started working", he added. Former president Moses Blah, who took over the reigns of government briefly after Taylor resigned and went into exile in August, said the row over the appointment of assistant ministers had been settled at a meeting between Bryant and representatives of the warring parties a few days ago. But Blah told IRIN: "None of my nominees have received a letter from Chairman Bryant, although in fact I was in the meeting where he instructed his secretary to send out the letters", Blah said. Foreign Ministry officials confirmed to IRIN on Tuesday that LURD's nominee for the post of assistant minister of foreign affairs, Sourirb'ah Kamara, had already moved into his office.