Liberia not out of the woods

2003-08-27 08:57

New York - The United Nations security council says it will maintain sanctions on Liberia's once-lucrative timber trade "for the time being".

Council members said on Tuesday once the situation in Liberia had stabilised, it would be "better placed to consider the issue of timber sanctions and the various possible options for minimising any impact".

The council voted unanimously on May 5 to extend an arms embargo against Liberia and add a new ban on the timber trade, effective from July 5, unless Charles Taylor's government stopped supporting rebel groups that were destabilising the region.

Taylor quit as president and went into exile in Nigeria on August 11 under pressure from West African leaders, the United States and rebels laying siege to the capital.

But, fighting has surged in the countryside despite a week-old peace deal.

The security council urged all parties to abide by a cease-fire agreement and the August 18 peace plan.

Secretary-General Kofi Annan said in a report to the council on August 7 that timber sanctions would hurt the economy and jobs when security conditions improved.

Magnet for militia groups

He said a revived timber industry could be "a driving force" for economic growth - a view echoed by the security council for the country's long-term economic prospects.

But, Annan said sanctions could provide "the necessary breathing space" to help ensure "that the timber sector does not re-emerge as a magnet for militia groups and exploitative corporations".

To mitigate the impact of sanctions, Annan suggested several options to the council, including exempting timber products that provided significant employment, or exempting logs and sawn timber produced by preapproved companies "whose logging policy and accounting practices are independently monitored".

But, after a briefing on reports by Annan and a panel of experts on the possible humanitarian and socio-economic impact of sanctions, the council said "it is premature to draw definitive conclusions regarding the timber sanctions and their possible impact".

Council has to review sanctions

"Members agreed the concern about the possible use of timber revenues to fuel the conflict in violation of the security council resolutions remained valid and hence the need to maintain the timber sanctions for the time being," said the council said in a statement read by its president, Syria's deputy UN ambassador, Fayssal Mekdad.

"At the same time, members emphasised that the timber sanctions should not lead to a deterioration of the humanitarian situation," said the council.

The council said "developments in Liberia in the coming weeks and months would be of direct relevance" to the council's review of sanctions.

Liberia's main export commodities in recent years have been logs, rubber, cocoa beans and coffee, with the forestry and logging sector accounting for 25.9% of the country's gross domestic product and 57.7% of export revenue in 2002, according to the International Monetary Fund.

According to Annan's report, Liberian timber export revenues for 2002 were at least US$146m and possibly as much as US$180m to US$200m.

The timber industry employed between 5 000 and 8 000 people, including between 1 500 and 1 750 expatriates.

But virtually all exports came to a halt because of stepped-up fighting between forces loyal to Taylor and rebels trying to oust him.

- AP