STATEMENT BY

THURSDAY, 11 MAY 2000

Mr. President,

My delegation would like to thank you for convening an open emergency meeting of the Council tonight to consider the rapidly deteriorating situation in Sierra Leone. We support the decision as we believe the larger membership of the Organisation, in particular the African states, should have an opportunity to be heard on this very important subject.

2. My delegation expresses, once again, its grave concern at the outbreak of violence in Sierra Leone over the last two weeks and we condemn in the strongest terms the armed attacks perpetrated by the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) against UN personnel. We note with deep regret the losses suffered by the Kenyan peacekeeping battalion of UNAMSIL and would like to take this opportunity to extend our sympathies and condolences to the families of the fallen peacekeepers and the Government of Kenya. Scores others have been wounded and some 500 UN personnel, including from Malaysia, are still under detention by the rebel forces. This is an unacceptable state of affairs and every effort should be made to secure their release by all necessary means.

3.    The Council had, on 4 May 2000, through a presidential statement, demanded that the RUF cease it hostile actions and release immediately and unharmed all detained UN and other international personnel. This has not been heeded by Mr. Foday Sankoh and his followers. As leader of the RUF, Mr. Sankoh is ultimately responsible for these deplorable actions which are in clear violation of their obligations under the Lome Peace Agreement. He must be held accountable.

4. My delegation agrees with the view that among the immediate priorities are for UNAMSIL to strengthen its presence by regrouping in larger numbers to enable the force to better defend themselves should they come under rebel attack. The stabilisation of the situation around the Freetown peninsula is also an immediate priority and we look forward with some urgency the early arrival of the additional battalions from India, Bangladesh and Jordan to bring UNAMSIL to its authorised strength. In this regard we commend the role played by British forces in securing the airport at Lungui near Freetown. While we commend Force Commander General Jetley and SRSG Adeniji for their respective roles in managing this crisis on the ground, we strongly believe that the time has come for the Council to consider the possible next steps. At the top of our agenda should be the despatch of a rapid reaction force to Sierra Leone for the purpose of stabilising the situation and putting the political process back on track. We commend the Secretary-General for his frenetic efforts in mobilizing such a force. We urge countries with the resources to respond promptly to the efforts of the Secretary-General so that the rapid reaction force can be despatched forthwith.

5. We do not think that a UN withdrawal from Sierra Leone is an option. That would be sending the wrong message to the peace-loving people of Sierra Leone, who have endured so much in the last nine years, and to Africa as a whole, as another example of the international community abandoning the continent yet again. That option also risks inviting a run at Freetown by the RUF. However, we do believe that the peacekeeping environment in which we envisaged UNAMSIL to be operating under when we adopted Council resolution 1289 (2000) is no longer relevant in the present circumstances. The premise of having a peace agreement on the table and parties to the conflict fully cooperating in its implementation, including the voluntary disarmament of armed elements under the DDR process, is in the process of unravelling, if not already unravelled. We will have to make an immediate in-depth evaluation of the situation both on the military and political fronts and take appropriate decisions. We run the risk of having UN personnel being overrun by the RUF who are intent, not only on disrupting the DDR process as evidenced in the last few months but, on challenging the resolve of UNAMSIL in the wake of the full withdrawal from Sierra Leone of ECOMOG forces. Clearly, the actions of the RUF had been well-timed and orchestrated. A few more weeks and UNAMSIL would have been strengthened further with the extra battalions and the disarmament process would have been consolidated in the rebels' diamond-rich eastern strongholds.

6. My delegation deeply regrets that the RUF has challenged not only the peace process but also the largest UN force this Organisation has mounted anywhere. The credibility of this Council is at stake. Criticisms have been voiced that the UN force deployed in Sierra Leone was ill-equipped or not adequately mandated to deal with the demands of the situation on the ground. The question of whether the limited Chapter VII mandate presently given to UNAMSIL continues to be adequate must be promptly examined in the light of the hard realities on the ground and in the context of the changed environment from that originally envisaged. My delegation would like to recall that we had been willing to go along with the limited Chapter VII mandate, then, because there was an agreement on the table and that the cooperation of the parties was assured as forthcoming. Clearly, many of us have been proven wrong and we will have to recaliberate our response appropriately.

Mr. President,

7. We welcome the decision at the recently-concluded ECOWAS Summit in Abuja for its members to use all means at their disposal, including the military option, to foil any attempt to take over power in Sierra Leone through the use of force. Such a rapid deployment force would be helpful and we look forward to the decision at the meeting of the Ministers of Defence and Chiefs of Staff to be held in Abuja on 17 May 2000 to consider the practical modalities in the event of a new ECOMOG involvement in Sierra Leone. Malaysia has consistently advocated that ECOMOG contributing countries, particularly Nigeria, which had shouldered a disproportionate burden of the ECOMOG forces in Sierra Leone in the past, be assisted in maintaining its forces there. Now, the situation has come full circle and ECOMOG is once again poised to play a pivotal role to assist the international community in restoring order in the country. The offer must be accepted. However, we believe that under the present circumstances, all countries deploying troops in Sierra Leone should come under the UN banner and under one command structure. Adequate resources must be found for this purpose. This is the responsibility of all member States, big and small.

8. The real test of our resolve will come in the coming days and weeks. The situation calls for a rapid and cohesive response from this Organisation and the international community at large. It is our fervent hope that tonight's deliberations and subsequent Council deliberation would lead to action that will reverse this sorry state of affairs and re-establish the authority and credibility of this Organization over the situation in Sierra Leone. This is imperative because of its ramifications not only in Africa but worldwide. My delegation agrees with the Secretary-General that we must act, and act quickly, for we cannot afford to fail the people of Sierra Leone. We cannot afford to fail Africa, yet again.

I thank you, Mr. President.

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