UNITED
NATIONS
GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
News and Highlights from the President
President
of General Assembly in Sierra Leone meets with President, UNAMSIL and
UN Country Team Officials
13 April 2002
(Based upon UNAMSIL Press Release)
Freetown – The visiting President of the 56th Session of the UN General Assembly, Dr. Han Seung-soo, yesterday held separate meetings with Sierra Leone’s President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Sierra Leone, Ambassador Oluyemi Adeniji, as well as other senior officials of the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL).
In discussions with President Kabbah, Dr. Han said his visit to Ghana, Sierra Leone, the Gambia and Senegal was to emphasize the importance of Africa to his Presidency of the General Assembly. He commended the Government for the outcome of the peace process and wished Sierra Leoneans successful elections. The General Assembly President also related the experience of South Korea in achieving economic development and indicated its example could be emulated by African countries. He also commended African leaders for their new, homegrown solutions to the continent’s economic difficulties, as exemplified in the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD).
President Kabbah in response commended UNAMSIL for helping to bring peace to Sierra Leone and for the stability the country was enjoying in the lead-up to the elections. He also thanked Dr. Han for the bilateral assistance his country, the Republic of South Korea, had provided.
Dr. Han, who is on a three-day familiarization tour of Sierra Leone, was then briefed by Ambassador Adeniji on the operations of UNAMSIL, from the resumption of disarmament in May 2001 to the current efforts being made in preparation for next month’s presidential and parliamentary elections. He explained UNAMSIL’s role in the elections, particularly in the provision of security and logistical support to the country’s National Electoral Commission.
The Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General (DSRSG) for Operations and Management, Mr. Behrooz Sadry, who also attended the meeting along with the DSRSG for Governance and Stabilization, Mr. Alan Doss, and the Force Commander, Lt. Gen. Daniel Opande, commended Dr. Han for the support the General Assembly is giving to UNAMSIL through its various committees, particularly the Fifth Committee. He said despite logistical problems encountered during the Mission’s initial stages, UNAMSIL has since benefited generously from the Assembly’s support.
Mr. Doss briefed the GA President on the restoration and consolidation of Government authority throughout the country, which he said was progressing smoothly albeit slowly, the reintegration of ex-combatants and the resettlement of refugees and internally displaced persons, emphasizing the need for more resources to speed up the process, and the recovery of the national economy.
In his briefing, the Force Commander said the current security situation in Sierra Leone remained calm, pointing out that the restoration of a secure environment throughout the country was one of UNAMSIL’s major achievements. He said UNAMSIL troops were working closely with the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces and the Sierra Leone Police to ensure free and fair elections next month.
Dr. Han later met with UNAMSIL’s senior staff and was briefed by heads of Administration, Civil Affairs, Human Rights, Public Information, Civilian Police, Electoral Component, the Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration Section, as well as by the Child Protection Officer.
Following his meeting with senior UNAMSIL officials, the GA President held discussions with representatives of UN agencies working in Sierra Leone on humanitarian and development issues. Mr. Dennis Johnson, the chief of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), gave an overview of the security situation in the country, the disarmament programme, humanitarian issues, the restoration of civil authority, the economic recovery strategy, and HIV/AIDS and other health issues.
Mr. Johnson noted that donors should be encouraged to continue to support the peace process. All representatives indicated the need for UNAMSIL to remain in Sierra Leone until the end of 2003.
Other UN agencies represented at the meeting included the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the UN Development Programme, the World Food Programme, the World Health Organization, the Food and Agriculture Organization and UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
Full
text of Press Briefing in Sierra Leone by President on 13 April 2002