§ Mr. Alan DuncanTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to bring all sides in Liberia's civil war to peace negotiations; and if he will make a statement. [72173]
§ Mr. MacShaneWe are concerned about the fighting in Liberia. Our Embassy in Abidjan regularly presses the Government of Liberia to end the fighting. In meetings of Security Council members we have urged all parties to the conflict to begin ceasefire negotiations. We have called on all states to stop supporting armed groups in Liberia. We believe that providing military assistance to any armed group in Liberia would be a breach of Un sanctions against Liberia (as renewed by UN Security Council Resolution 1408 on 6 May 2002). We support the efforts of the various regional and local initiatives under the auspices of the Economic Community of West African States, King Mohammed of Morocco, the Liberian Leadership Forum and the Inter-Religious Council of Liberia, to find a solution to the conflict in Liberia. A Security Council Workshop on the Mano River Union (Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea), which was held on our initiative and chaired by my noble Friend Baroness Amos on 18 July, identified the need for greater co-ordination between these initiatives. We also provide political and diplomatic support to the EU presidency representative to the Mano River Union.