afrol News, 17 June - The UN Security Council today re-established an expert monitoring panel to investigate the implementation and violations of sanctions imposed last year against Liberia. The Council last week controversially decided to continue its sanctions regime against Liberia despite protests from the transitional government and top UN officials.

The question about limits in Liberia's exports and imports today again was raised in the UN Security Council after its controversial decision last week to prolong its sanctions regime against Liberia. The decision severely affects the transitional government's capacity of financing its efforts to rebuild the country and makes it totally dependent on foreign aid.

The national transitional government of Liberia had earlier requested a lift of the sanctions on national timber and diamonds exports. The petition was supported by the UN's special representative for Liberia, Jacques Klein, who stated that lifting the sanctions would enable the transitional government "to use Liberia's own resources for its reconstruction and development, to the benefit of the Liberian people."

Now, new information is to be gathered on how the sanctions regime works in practical terms. The Security Council today mandated a so-called "Panel of Experts" to probe ongoing violations of the arms embargo, travel ban of individuals posing a threat to the stability and security in Liberia and the sub-region, as well as the embargo against the export of rough diamonds and round logs and timber products stemming from Liberia.

The new panel, which continues the work of earlier expert groups, also was given a mandate that included assessing the progress in maintaining and respecting the ceasefire and establishing and maintaining stability in Liberia and the sub-region. These conditions must be met in order for the Security Council to terminate the measures imposed against the country, according to earlier decisions.

The expert panel was also asked to assess the progress made by the transitional government in establishing an effective certificate of origin regime for trade in Liberian rough diamonds as well as establishing full authority over the timber-producing areas.

The panel's most recent report found no proof of weapons-smuggling into Liberia after August 2003, or of diamond- and timber-smuggling out of the West African nation. However, "organised, international smuggling networks remain in place and could be reactivated at any time," the report said.

- Corruption remains widespread, the report said, "and the task of rebuilding is daunting." While noting that the fiscal costs of retaining sanctions would include lost wages and salaries, the experts did not conclude on whether to lift or extend the sanctions. Nevertheless, the experts concluded that the imposed sanctions had contributed significantly to ending the country's armed conflicts.

On the background of this report, the UN Security Council on 10 June decided to extend its sanctions regime, as peace was "still fragile." According to a statement made by the Council, its members had "emphasised that continuation of the measures on Liberia was not meant to be punitive for the national transitional government and the Liberian people, but to ensure that the peace process was irreversible."

Regarding the increasing problems faced by the Liberian government in terms of securing revenues to finance reconstruction, the Council referred to international donors. The Security Council called on the international community to "aid Liberia in a timely manner" and to redeem the pledges made at a reconstruction conference in February.

By staff writer

© afrol News

Related pages and feature

Current afrol News Top Stories