H. CON. RES. 240 - CALLS ON THE UNITED STATES TO CONTRIBUTE TO MULTINATIONAL STABILIZATION FORCE IN LIBERIA

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Expressing the sense of Congress with respect to the urgency of providing support for the "Agreement on Ceasefire and Cessation of Hostilities Between the Government of the Republic of Liberia and Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy and the Movement for Democracy of Liberia", and for other purposes.

Sponsor: Rep Payne, Donald M. [NJ-10] (introduced 7/8/2003)
Cosponsors

The Government of Liberia, Liberians United for Reconciliations and Democracy and the Movement for Democracy in Liberia reached a Ceasefire Agreement on June 17, 2003, to halt Liberia's brutal civil war and bring renewed hope for a peace agreement for the people of Liberia. The agreement states that all Liberian political parties will participate in a dialogue to create a comprehensive peace agreement and transitional government that will not include Charles Taylor within a period of 30 days.

Immediate emergency food assistance is urgently needed to meet the basic nutritional needs of the people of Liberian, especially mothers and children. The Liberian people are rapidly succumbing to diseases such as cholera, dysentery, HIV/AIDS, malaria, pneumonia, acute respiratory infections, and other maladies. In addition, assistance is needed for internally displaced persons and refugees to return to their native homes and countries.

United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan has called on the United States to contribute to a multinational stabilization force, including ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) troops, to work toward bringing peace to Liberia.

This resolutions calls on:

The United States Government:

• to assume a leadership role in the international community through its membership in the International Contact Group for Liberia to help guide the Ceasefire Agreement and subsequent peace agreement

• prioritize the needs of former child soldiers, especially girls, during the process of disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration into society

The Secretary of State:

• together with the United Nations, ECOWAS, and the AU, to establish and deploy an International Stabilization Force that will initially monitor the peace agreement between the parties and provide security for humanitarian relief efforts, and subsequently, through protocols and a mode of operations to be determined, monitor Liberia's borders, to prevent the trans-border passage of arms and unauthorized persons

Secretary of Defense:

• to play a lead role in creating and deploying an international stabilization force to Liberia

United States Agency for International Development (USAID):

• to commit to providing humanitarian assistance to the people of Liberia to save lives, including providing emergency food, supplies, and commodities, working with international non-governmental organizations and donors

The International Community:

• to assist in the establishment of a government that respects the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and political independence of its neighbors

The United Nations:

• to provide peacekeeping troops for such time as necessary to enforce the Ceasefire Agreement, protect humanitarian efforts, and maintain a stable transitional environment

• to provide adequate repatriation packages for refugees and resettlement packages for internally displaced persons that include food sufficient to meet international nutritional standards, household items, materials for temporary shelter, inputs for farming for household consumption and income, and grants to pay the cost of transportation for relocation

A Brief History of the United States' Relationship with Liberia:

The United States Government and Liberia have a long, historical relationship beginning in 1820 when free Black Americans from the United States founded the Republic of Liberia with a grant of $100,000 from President James Monroe and in 1847 thousands of free Black Americans from the United States immigrated to Liberia and declared their independence;

Liberia has been a strong political ally of the United States, including by its declaration of war on Germany on August 14, 1917, which gave the Allies an additional base in West Africa during World War I, by allowing United States troops to be based in the country in 1942 during World War II, and by permitting the construction of a Voice of America transmitter to cover the entire African continent to expose Soviet propaganda during the Cold War.

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