Liberia stakeholders sign agreement in Accra

Accra, Aug. 18, GNA - Liberia stakeholders on Monday signed the Comprehensive Peace Agreement after more than two months of tough negotiations.

Mr Louis Brown of the Government of Liberia (GOL); Mr Sekou Coneh of Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) and Mr Thomas Nimely of Movement for Democracy in Liberia (MODEL), signed for their respective factions.

Representatives for the political parties and civil society also signed.

Under the agreement, the warring parties will now have 12 seats each in the transitional legislature.

The increase in the allotments followed marathon negotiations on Sunday between Mediators and the main rebel group, Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD), which had earlier demanded 15 seats each.

In view of the increase in the allotments, the National Transitional Legislative Assembly (NTLA) will now have 76 seats. Under the new arrangement, the Government of Liberia (GOL), the LURD and the Movement for Democracy in Liberia (MODEL) will each have twelve representatives in the NTLA.

Civil society and special interest groups will have a total of seven seats, a seat each for the eighteen political parties and the 15 counties in Liberia.

The Chairman and Vice Chairman of the National Transitional Government of Liberia will no longer be elected but would be selected by consensus.

Under the new arrangement, the eighteen political parties and civil society organisations will collectively nominate three candidates for the positions.

The three nominees will be put before the three warring parties - GOL, LURD and MODEL - who will do a final selection for the positions. Under the agreement, an all-inclusive National Transitional Government of Liberia (NTGL) will be inaugurated in Monrovia on October 14 to replace the present Government of President Moses Blah. The Chairman and Vice Chairman will head the NTGL that will consist the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary.

Its responsibilities will include the preparation and conduct of internationally supervised elections in October 2005 for the inauguration of the elected government in January 2006.

It will also ensure "the scrupulous" implementation of the Agreement, which was fashioned out after more than two months of talks. It is to promote reconciliation to ensure restoration of peace and stability to the war-torn country.

The mandate of the NTGL will expire on the third Monday of January 2006, the agreement document stipulates.

There are 18 political parties in Liberia whose delegates participated in the Accra Talks.

"Immediately upon the installation of the NTGL in Liberia, the present (Moses Blah) government shall be considered dissolved... All Cabinet Ministers, Deputy and Assistant Ministers, heads of autonomous agencies, heads of public corporations and sate-owned enterprises shall be deemed to have resigned," it said.

However, this does not preclude re-appointment according to the appropriate provisions of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, the documents said.

It states further that "the LURD, MODEL, and all irregular forces of the government will be dissolved and cease to exist as military forces as of the effective date of the commencement of the cantonment. "There shall be no restriction on members of the defunct LURD and MODEL to engage in national politics through the formation of political parties or otherwise, except those restrictions imposed on all parties and associations by the relevant laws of Liberia."

The agreement provides that the Chairman and Vice-Chairman as well as all principal Cabinet Ministers within the NTGL would not contest for any elective office during the 2005 elections to be held in Liberia. Like the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the transitional government, the Speaker and Deputy Speaker would not contest any elective office during the 2005 elections.

The agreement says the NTGL would maintain the Cabinet structure of the present government of Liberia, reiterating that functionaries under the Cabinet structure should represent the vast cross-section of the Liberian society.

Immediately upon the installation of the NTGL, all members of the Supreme Court of Liberia - the Chief Judge and all its Associate Justices shall be deemed to have resigned, according to the document. It said all new judicial appointments would be made by the NTLA based on a shortlist of candidates for each position recommended by the National Bar Association, including female lawyers.

The Chief Justice and all Associate Justices within the NTGL shall not contest for any elective office during the 2005 elections. The agreement provides for a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to "provide a forum that will address issues of impunity, as well as an opportunity for both the victims and perpetrators of human rights violations to tell their story, in order to get a clear picture of the past to facilitate genuine healing and reconciliation".

It calls for the restructuring of the Armed Forces of Liberia to have a new command structure. "The forces may be drawn from the ranks of the present GOL forces, the LURD and the MODEL, as well as from civilians with appropriate background and experience.

The parties request that ECOWAS, the UN and the ICGL provide advisory staff, equipment, logistics and experienced trainers for the security reform effort. The US is requested to play a lead role in organizing the restructuring programme.

The National Police Force, Immigration Force, Special Security Service, Custom Security Guards and such other security units shall also be immediately restructured. All political prisoners and prisoners of war, including non-combatants and those abducted shall be released immediately and unconditionally by the parties," the CPA said. 18 Aug. 03