[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 36, Number 41 (Monday, October 16, 2000)]
[Pages 2427-2428]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Statement on Suspending the Immigration of Persons Impeding the Peace 
Process in Sierra Leone

October 11, 2000

    I have signed a proclamation suspending the entry into the United 
States, as immigrants and nonimmigrants, of all persons--

[[Page 2428]]

and the spouses, children, and parents of all persons--who plan, engage 
in, or benefit from activities that support the Revolutionary United 
Front (RUF) or that otherwise impede the peace process in Sierra Leone. 
These visa restrictions will immediately apply to President Charles 
Taylor, senior members of the Government of Liberia, their closest 
supporters, and their family members.
    I call upon the Liberian Government to end immediately Liberia's 
trafficking in weapons and illicit diamonds, which fuels the war in 
Sierra Leone, and instead to use its influence with the RUF to restore 
peace and stability to Sierra Leone. Members of my administration have 
repeatedly made this request of President Taylor. The absence of any 
positive response from his government leaves us little choice but to 
impose these restrictions. Only when the Government of Liberia ends its 
participation in activities that support the RUF will the United States 
review this policy.