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Liberia Reacts to UN Sanctions
Liberian Foreign Minister Monie Kaptan has said the sanctions imposed on his country by the United Nations Security Council are not so bad as he anticipated, according to reports reaching here on Thursday from Liberia's capital Monrovia.
The request of west African countries for the embargo not to come into force for two months gives the Liberian government time to demonstrate that the country has strictly prohibited on diamond smuggling and severed links with the rebel Revolutionary United Front (RUF) of Sierra Leone, Kaptan said.
Meanwhile, Liberian President Charles Taylor has said he welcomes the United Nations to monitor Liberia's diamond exports.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Liberian government announced that it is ready to allow the U.N. peacekeeping force in Sierra Leone to monitor Liberia's borders for evidence of arms or gems trade.
According to a statement issued on Tuesday by Liberia's Mines and Transport Ministry, the Liberian government has imposed with immediate effect a ban on the exportation of diamonds for a period of 120 days.
The United Nations Security Council Wednesday voted unanimously to impose sanctions on Liberia in order to help the peace process in Sierra Leone where U.N. investigations have shown the Liberian government has been supporting the RUF.
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