Liberian chaos a 'disgrace'
2004-02-06 22:13
New York - UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on Friday said the recent years of war and chaos in Liberia were a disgrace to humanity, and urged the international community to pledge the aid needed to help rebuild.
Speaking at a donors conference intended to drum up around $500m to help the west African country over the next two years, Annan said it was time for Liberia to look to the future.
"For most of the past 14 years, Liberia has been consumed by a tragic and ruinous cycle of conflict and misrule," he said, referring to the reign of now exiled president Charles Taylor, who fled the country in August.
"Let us all seize this opportunity to end a long-running nightmare that has disgraced humankind. Let us consolidate the peace, and make the peace process irreversible," he said.
US Secretary of State Colin Powell, French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin and interim Liberian leader Gyude Bryant were also scheduled to address the second and final day of the conference.
According to World Bank estimates, the country needs $488m over the next two years in addition to the $170m in urgent humanitarian assistance already requested by the United Nations.
Diplomats said the United States will commit $200m, and the conference is expected to muster up the remainder of the money sought.
A tentative ceasefire has been in place since Taylor went into exile, but the ravages of the conflict and Taylor's mismanagement have left the nation, which is rich in diamonds, timber, rubber and other resources, lacking even a basic infrastructure.