§ Mr. CorbynTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what diplomatic effort his Department has undertaken to bring a halt to armed conflict in Sierra Leone; and if he will make a statement. [30761]
§ Mr. Tony LloydWe have consistently worked for a peaceful settlement of the crisis in Sierra Leone. We are now consulting member states of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on the situation. I discussed it with President Kabbah of Sierra Leone on 20 February. We are considering urgently the need for rapid UN engagement, which we are discussing with the UN Secretariat and with Security Council members. The need now is for the restoration of the 35W legitimate President and the establishment of a broadly-based Government and for all parties to move to a process of disarmament and demobilisation.
The most immediate requirement is for a humanitarian relief effort, to which we are ready to make a major contribution. The Department for International Development (DFID) has sent an expert to the region to liaise with the UN and NGOs over the quickest and most effective way to achieve this.