Decision on Sierra Leone

AHG/Dec.147 (XXXVI)

DECISION ON SIERRA LEONE

The Assembly:

1. EXPRESSES ITS APPRECIATION to the Current Chairman of ECOWAS, President Alpha Omar Konare, and the other leaders of the region, for the efforts they have deployed to bring peace to Sierra Leone; and EXPRESSES SUPPORT for their efforts to establish a ceasefire and revive the peace process in Sierra Leone, based on the Lome Peace Agreement;

2. CALLS ON the RUF in particular, to scrupulously abide by and implement the terms of the Peace Agreement, including disarming and demobilizing voluntary and desisting from making attacks on UNAMSIL as well as from acts of hostage-taking:

3. CALLS FOR the immediate and unconditional lifting of the siege of UNSAMSIL peacekeepers at Kailalun by RUF, and restoring to them, complete freedom of movement; RECALLS that restrictions on freedom of movement of UNAMSIL peacekeepers is a violation of the Lome Accord, the Bamako Summit Communiqué and UN Security Council Resolutions on Sierra Leone. It also recalls the mandate given by the ECOWAS Summit to President Charles Taylor of Liberia in this regard and URGES him to facilitate the early lifting of the siege on UN personnel. The Conference stresses that the RUF will be entirely responsible for any consequences that may follow, in case the matter is not resolved immediately;

4. EXPRESSES ITS APPRECIATION and gratitude to Colonel Muamar Al Gaddafi, Leader of the Great Alfateh Revolution for his assistance in securing the release of the hostages and for his effort to settle the conflict and to achieve and sustain peace in Sierra Leone;

5. EXPRESSES SUPPORT for the decision of the ECOWAS Heads of State that troops be provided from the sub-region to strengthen UNAMSIL and SUPPORTS the call by ECOWAS to the United Nations Security Council to change the mandate of UNAMSIL from peacekeeping to enforcement, to increase the umber of UNSAMSIL personnel deployed and to provide adequate logistical support to