REGIONAL COLLABORATION KEY TO WEST AFRICA'S SECURITY, UN ENVOY SAYS

REGIONAL COLLABORATION KEY TO WEST AFRICA'S SECURITY, UN ENVOY SAYS
New York, Nov 7 2007 8:00AM
As West African officials gathered today in Liberia for a meeting on issues of common concern, the senior United Nations envoy to the country stressed the importance of effective regional collaboration in ensuring security in the area.

"Nowhere is our collaboration more important than in Liberia. By contributing troops to our force your respective countries have provided this Mission with robust capabilities, contributing immensely to Liberia's and the region's peace and security," Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Special Representative, Alan Doss, said at a reception for the Chiefs of Defence Staff of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

He urged ECOWAS members to "continue to support Liberia and the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) so that the national programme of recovery and development can go forward in peaceful conditions."

Acknowledging the importance of the work of the military delegates over the coming days, UNMIL's Force Commander, Lt.-Gen. Chikadibia Isaac Obiakor, said "Your work here this week will have a major impact on the consolidation of peace and stability in the region."

He noted that participants are working to develop an ECOWAS Standby Force, aiming to have it ready by 2010.

The UNMIL Force Commander, as well as the Force Commander of the UN Mission in Cote d'Ivoire (UNOCI) will brief the gathering, which aims to to promote cooperation and integration in order to create an economic and monetary union for encouraging economic growth and development in West Africa.

2007-11-07 00:00:00.000

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