ANDREWS WELCOMES SIERRA LEONE PEACE AGREEMENT
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. David Andrews TD, has welcomed the Peace Agreement between the Government of Sierra Leone and the Revolutionary United Front signed in Togo this week. He praised the work of the Presidents of Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Liberia and Togo who had worked with the UN Special Representative and other members of the international community to overcome the remaining obstacles to the reaching of an agreement. Recalling the Irish missionary tradition in Sierra Leone which has sustained the interest of Irish people and solidarity groups in the plight of that country, Minister Andrews stated,
"I look forward to the new opportunities which this week's agreement affords for the people of Sierra Leone, who have suffered appalling hardship and human rights abuses, to rebuild their lives. Along with our EU partners we will support the implementation of the agreement as a means of restoring peace and stability".
