[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 139 (Tuesday, October 1, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S12057-S12058]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        THE SITUATION IN LIBERIA

  Mrs. KASSEBAUM. Mr. President, I want to make a few comments about 
recent events in Liberia.
  The 6-year civil war has killed over 150,000 Liberians and displaced 
1.2 million people. The country's infrastructure has been laid waste, 
and its economy is in ruins. Time and again, Liberians have reached 
tentative peace agreements, only to watch them fall apart.
  Last fall, many of us held high hopes for the peace accord reached in 
Abuja, Nigeria. For once, the faction leaders appeared to set aside 
their personal agendas for a process of disarmament and elections. Our 
hopes were shattered again this past spring as the Liberian civil war 
erupted yet again.
  After months of renewed fighting, another peace agreement was reached 
last month among the warring Liberian factions. It is my fervent hope 
that the current cease-fire and plan for national elections next spring 
will succeed and lead at long last to sustained peace for Liberia.
  Like its predecessors, this peace is fragile. Restoring and 
protecting a secure environment for Liberians is the first requirement 
for lasting peace.
  I commend the efforts of the West African peacekeeping force, ECOMOG, 
for

[[Page S12058]]

its vital role in bringing peace to this war-torn land. It is in 
America's interest that ECOMOG succeed and that we broaden the number 
of African states participating in the regional effort. In April, 
President Clinton committed $30 million in aid to the ECOMOG forces, 
and I am pleased that the full amount has been authorized to be 
transmitted. I urge that the funds be disbursed as quickly as possible 
to provide assistance in the vital areas of need identified by ECOMOG, 
such as communications and transportation.
  Long-term security will require more than a regional peace force--it 
will require a reestablishment of order in Liberian society itself. 
Short-term relief requires local order as well. Although the UNDP is 
currently rehabilitating the airport in Monrovia, and the World Food 
Program is meeting urgent humanitarian needs in areas severely affected 
by the fighting, most NGO's and private volunteer organizations are 
still reluctant to return until the security and political situation in 
Liberia is stabilized. The reestablishment of law and order in Liberia 
is a critical requirement for these organizations to function and meet 
pressing economic and humanitarian needs. Sooner or later, we will need 
to support efforts to reconstitute Liberian security and judicial 
institutions.
  The second requirement for a lasting peace is the existence of basic 
economic opportunity. If peace is to endure, America's role cannot end 
with a cease-fire and an election. Faction fighters will not 
permanently lay down their arms unless they have something else to do 
and other means of sustenance.
  In this area, Liberia's tragedy may provide its own opportunity. For 
example, Liberia desperately needs the reconstitution of its roads, 
bridges, airport, and water and electrical power systems. These are 
vital areas in which former belligerents can be employed, exchanging 
swords for plowshares, and contributing to the rebuilding of their 
country. Schools also must be reconstituted so the youngest fighters of 
ages 9 and 10 can replace their guns with books and return from the 
battlefields to the classrooms.
  Mr. President, there are compelling reasons for America to remain 
engaged in Liberia. We share a special history. We also have an 
interest in eliminating the type of instability that can be a haven for 
threats that cut across national boundaries--environmental degradation, 
infectious diseases, and international crime, terrorism, and drug 
trafficking.
  Elections alone cannot save Liberia. I trust the administration's 
diplomacy, with the oversight of Congress, will continue to take that 
fact into account as we try to make peace work in Liberia.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator's time has expired.

                          ____________________