Liberia's+International+Relations

Liberia's International Relations

The civil war in Liberia spilled over into conflict with neighbor countries. Sierra Leone diamonds, illegally mined and smuggled by the RUF. Since the end of the war political relations with neighbors have improved. Liberia, together with its neighbors Guinea and Sierra Leone, belong to the Mano River Union (MRU), established in 1973. Difficult political relations between the 3 countries meant that it never got off the ground. It was re-launched in May 2004 with a focus on mutual security. An International Contact Group on Liberia was launched in September 2002. It's chaired jointly by the Nigerians and European Commission. The UN, African Union, United States, UK, France, Germany, Sweden, Ghana and the World Bank are all members. At the international level, its mandate was expanded in September 2004 to include Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Cote d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone and its name changed to the International Contact Group for the Mano River Basin. A United Nations peacekeeping mission was established in Liberia in 2003. The UN Security Council imposed sanctions against Liberia in 2001 in response to President Taylor's support for the RUF in Sierra Leone, comprising of an arms embargo, a ban on the trade of rough diamonds and the timber trade, and a travel ban for certain named individuals. The bans on timber and diamonds have now been lifted. On 12 March 2004 the UN Security Council imposed an assets freeze against Charles Taylor, his close family and associates to prevent them using misappropriated funds to undermine peace and stability in Liberia. Successive Panels of Experts have monitored the implementation of these sanctions and advised on how structures may be put in place to allow them to be lifted.

T.M.S