§ Mr. HoyleTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action he is planning to support the return of constitutional government to Sierra Leone. [31757]
§ Mr. Tony LloydI refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 23 February 1998,Official Report, columns 34–35.
We have consistently worked for the peaceful restoration of the democratically elected government of Sierra Leone. We have been in regular contact with the legitimate President, Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, with whom I last discussed the situation on 20 February. We and our EU partners have called for his immediate return to Sierra Leone. We are urgently discussing with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the United Nations the need for a broadly based Government under President Kabbah and for all parties to move to a process of disarmament and demobilisation.
HMS Cornwall arrived in Freetown on 1 March and is now providing technical assistance and support to humanitarian relief work in Sierra Leone.