Some African Ambassadors against US Possible Military Intervention in Liberia

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Saturday, July 05, 2003

Some African Ambassadors against US Possible Military Intervention in Liberia

Some African ambassadors and diplomats Friday expressed their strong opposition against any possible military intervention threatened by US President George W.Bush against Liberia.

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Some African ambassadors and diplomats Friday expressed their strong opposition against any possible military intervention threatened by US President George W.Bush against Liberia.

Mustaq Ahmed Moozad, Botswana Ambassador to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the African Union, told Xinhua that Liberia is an independent country and that the Security Council ofthe United Nations has the right to make the decision.

The majority of ambassadors, diplomats and participants from 53African countries, who attended the opening ceremony of the ordinary session of the Permanent Representatives Committee and other plenipotentiaries of the African Union, shared the similar view.

Moozad noted that the new policy of the African Union is that military intervention can be done against certain countries which carry out genocide or abuse human right in their own countries.

Zimbabwe Ambassador Andrew Mtetwa told Xinhua, "We Africans don't welcome any military intervention from the outside world, especially the United States. My answer is no to Bush's threat."

He said, "the principle of the African Union is that Africans must solve their own problems. We can solve our problems by ourselves. If we need any help from the outside world, it should come from the United Nations, which should make the right decision.The direction should be coming from the proper procedure - the Security Council of the United Nations or the entire world."

Yeslam Mohamed, a diplomat from Western Sahara, told Xinhua, "Ido not think any military intervention will be a good solution. Weneed peace in Liberia but we do not need military intervention."

He stressed that peace in Liberia is vital to the region because it has interactive impact upon other countries, including Sierra Leone.

"So we need peace and stability as soon as possible. We can nottolerance war or conflicts any longer. We are really sick of them."

EP Wasie, a photographer from Mozambique, said that he is not apolitician but he knew that military intervention is not acceptable to the African continent because the Liberian people can solve problem by themselves.

"Only solution will be themselves," he said.

Situated in West Africa, Liberia is Africa's oldest republic. However, since the 1990s it has become known for its long civil war and its role in the war in Sierra Leone.

Although founded by freed American slaves, Liberia is mostly made up of indigenous Africans, with the salves' descendants comprising 5 percent of the 3.3 million population.

White House spokesman Ari Fleischer told reporters on Friday, US President George W. Bush has decided to send a team of experts to Liberia to assess the situation in the west African state.

Bush's decision to send an assessment team came shortly after Liberian President Charles Taylor said he would resign provided that an international peacekeeping force is deployed in his country.

President Bush has repeatedly urged Taylor to step down to avoid further bloodshedding in the war-ravaged African nation.

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