Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-05-18-Speech-4-226"
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"en.20000518.9.4-226"2
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"Mr President, I wish to begin by saying that the Commission very much welcomes the capture in the early hours of the morning of 17 May of the rebel leader, Foday Sankoh. We understand he was arrested by the Sierra Leonean police and that he remains in government custody.
As regards humanitarian assistance, through ECHO we are continuing to finance programmes in support of displaced and refugee communities through international NGOs. Since the beginning of 1999, ECHO has provided some EUR 14m of assistance, covering the supply of medical aid, therapeutic feeding, water and sanitation and psychosocial support to children affected by war. In addition, this funding has covered support to amputees – the all too many amputees in the country.
This month the Commission will be seeking approval for a new EUR 12m programme of assistance to Sierra Leone, principally covering refugees and the internally displaced. This programme will concentrate on providing support first to refugees in neighbouring Guinea and Liberia, second to internally displaced populations and, thirdly, to women and children affected by the war and, of course, the amputees. Ex-combatant children will again receive psychosocial support.
For me the most interesting point to come out of this debate was not just the expressions of concern about the situation in Sierra Leone – one would expect that – but the number of honourable Members who have expressed very clearly and cogently their views on the diamond trade. I say with some feeling that I very much hope that Member States will take account of what has been said in this Chamber.
I am sure we all hope that Sankoh will now accelerate the release of the remaining hostages. There are apparently about 360 of them. We understand that has already commenced, but there is a long way to go.
Similarly, it is to be hoped that Sankoh will now honour the commitments he entered into last July when he signed the Lomé peace accord and that will allow a long-awaited peace and stability to return to Sierra Leone.
The Commission has been following closely and with very considerable concern the recent events in Sierra Leone which have derailed implementation of the Lomé peace agreement and called into question the commitment of the RUF towards restoring peace and stability in Sierra Leone. That, if anything, is an understatement.
The European Union has issued two statements condemning the RUF’s violations of the peace agreement and the abductions of UN peace-keeping personnel. The statements have both called on the RUF to adhere strictly to their commitments under the Lomé agreement and, in particular, to the disarmament process.
We remain convinced that the Lomé agreement still offers the best chance for lasting peace in Sierra Leone. We will continue to support the legitimate government’s attempts to restore peace and stability to the country and to implement programmes of economic and social recovery.
The recent support provided to the UNAMSIL peace-keeping force by the United Kingdom is welcome – the honourable Member, Mr Titley, made the point well – as is the release last weekend of 139 of the 486 hostages, following the intervention of President Taylor of Liberia.
The Commission is aware of the reports concerning the involvement of neighbouring countries, in particular Burkina Faso and Liberia, in the smuggling of diamonds and in providing support to the rebels in Sierra Leone. The Commission, together with Member States, is currently examining the regional dimension to the conflict with a view to formulating an appropriate regional response.
The Commission stresses the role to be played by regional organisations, for example ECOWAS, in the prevention of conflicts. The Commission is financing with EDF regional funds the ECOWAS conflict-prevention mechanism, which could provide an appropriate channel for dialogue on this question."@en1
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