Security Council to extend UNAMSIL mandate

The United Nations Security Council on Wednesday expressed its intention to renew the mandate of the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL), recommended by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan earlier this week. In comments to the press, the current president of the Security Council, Ambassador Stefan Tafrov, said Council members had discussed the situation in Sierra Leone as well as Annan’s latest report on UNAMSIL. "They discussed the ongoing challenges in consolidating peace and stability in Sierra Leone, particularly strengthening the security sector, and agreed that the government and the international community must use the opportunity offered by the continuing security umbrella of UNAMSIL to make progress on these matters," Tafrov told reporters. Council members noted Annan's proposals for adjustments to the size and composition of UNAMSIL, and expressed their intention to respond to these in a resolution renewing its mandate, he added. Security Council members also appealed to the international donor community to continue providing financial assistance to Sierra Leone.