§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations have been made to the United Nations by states of the Economic Community of West African States about(a) the cost of the ECOMOG peacekeeping operations in Liberia, (b) the need for more logistical support and (c) their commitment to the Liberian operations; and what has been the response of the United Nations.
§ Mr. Douglas Hogg[holding answer 29 November 1994]: The only formal approach to the United Nations by ECOWAS has been that of President Soglo of Benin, who wrote to the Secretary-General of the UN following the signing of the Cotonou agreement to ask for UN support for the ECOWAS monitoring group, ECOMOG. In response, the UN Secretary-General established the UN trust fund to support the expanded ECOMOG operation.
22WMore recently, President Abacha wrote to the UN Secretary-General on 17 October 94 about the material difficulties faced by ECOMOG. A high-level UN mission is now visiting west Africa to investigate the ways in which UN-ECOMOG co-operation can be enhanced.
The UN secretariat stays in close contact with all states contributing to ECOMOG. The regular calls for support for ECOMOG which appear in both UN Security Council resolutions and reports by the Secretary-General reflect the widespread concern that ECOMOG should be properly resourced to fulfil its role.