§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations were made to the Sierra Leone Government to accept those elements of the Lomè peace accords over which it expressed doubt; and if he will make a statement. [139847]
§ Mr. HainWe were in close and regular touch with the Government of Sierra Leone during the Lomè peace negotiations, in Lomè itself and in Freetown. The Government of Sierra Leone had to make a number of difficult choices in the negotiations. But it negotiated and signed the Lomè Peace Agreement freely in the expectation that it would form the basis for lasting peace and stability in Sierra Leone.