UN mission in Liberia to withdraw troops in 2008: envoy

The United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) is expected to begin withdraw its 15,000 multinational peacekeeping troops in the country by 2008, UN special envoy Alan Doss announced here on Tuesday.

Doss said, "During the drawdown phase the mission will seek to progressively transfer security responsibilities to national and local authorities based on criteria and timeframe to be discussed with the government."

"We have re-assured the government that our assessments and recommendations for the drawdown will be carefully calibrated with its own efforts to rebuild the security apparatus," Doss said, but added that "we would not risk the security of the country which has been achieved at great human and humanitarian cost."

The UN mission is assisting the Liberian government to consolidate the peace and create an enabling environment for reconstruction programs following 14 years of civil war.

The mission was deployed in the West African state in October 2003 following a peace deal brokered by the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) in August of that year. Since then, it has assisted in facilitating the holding of general elections in 2005 and reestablishing state authority throughout the country.

Last week, the UN Security Council extended the mission's mandate by six months to March 31, 2007.

But Doss said the six-month extension was based on "technical reason" which has to do with fiscal budgetary procedures of contributing member states, implying that the mission's mandate would most likely be extended again.

He said, "UNMIL in consultation with the government will identify the approximate order of drawdown with a view to providing the Security Council in September 2007 with a plan for the drawdown phase."

"We are encouraging the government to draw up a comprehensive security policy and strategy, which will factor in the planning for UNMIL's consolidation and eventual drawdown," Doss said.

However, Doss said prior to the 2008 drawdown plan, there would be "some modest adjustments to the mission's force strength and configuration to improve operational flexibility and effectiveness based on a 'troop to task' analysis."

In view of this adjustment, he said the mission is expected to withdraw one battalion of its troops by the end of the year, while additional 125 formed police personnel from India would be deployed.

The restructuring of state security including the police and the army is progressing with the hope that by 2008 local security forces would be enough and adequately trained to assume national and local security responsibilities.

Source: Xinhua