    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1999, Book I)]
    [May 18, 1999]
    [Page 803]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Statement on the Sierra Leone Cease-Fire Agreement
    May 18, 1999

        I welcome the signing of a cease-fire agreement today in Lome, Togo,
    by President Kabbah of Sierra Leone and
    the leader of the Revolutionary United Front rebels, Foday
    Sankoh. I want to express my appreciation to my
    Special Envoy for the Promotion of Democracy in Africa, the Rev. Jesse
    Jackson, the Economic Community of West
    African States, and to the U.N. for helping to bring about this
    agreement which marks an important first step towards peace.
        The conflict in Sierra Leone has killed tens of thousands of
    people--6,000 in the first month of this year alone. Half a million men,
    women, and children have become refugees, and one-fifth of Sierra
    Leone's population has been uprooted.
        With the continued commitment and engagement of both parties, the
    cease-fire and the confidence-building measures outlined in the
    agreement today can pave the way for the negotiation of a durable peace
    agreement. I welcome the agreement as a step toward providing for
    guaranteed safe and unhindered access by humanitarian agencies to all
    people in need, and hope that the world might soon witness an end to the
    needless suffering of Sierra Leone's people.
        I urge all parties to implement the agreement in good faith.