INTRO: U-N SECRETARY-GENERAL BOUTROS BOUTROS-GHALI HAS CALLED ON THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO DO MORE TO SUPPORT THE WEST AFRICAN FORCE OVERSEEING A PEACE ACCORD IN LIBERIA. V-O-A WEST AFRICA CORRESPONDENT PURNELL MURDOCK REPORTS THE U-N SECRETARY-GENERAL IS IN GHANA AS PART OF A FOUR-NATION WEST AFRICA TOUR.

TEXT: SPEAKING IN THE GHANAIAN CAPITAL, ACCRA, MR. BOUTROS-GHALI SAID A UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE HELD IN NEW YORK LAST MONTH TO RAISE MONEY FOR THE PEACE PROCESS RECEIVED COMMITMENTS OF 145-MILLION DOLLARS. BUT HE SAID EVEN THAT IS NOT ENOUGH TO FUND THE ENORMOUS TASK OF DISARMING LIBERIA’S ESTIMATED 60-THOUSAND REBEL FIGHTERS OR HELP PREPARE THE COUNTRY FOR DEMOCRATIC ELECTIONS NEXT YEAR.

EARLIER THIS MONTH, THE UNITED NATIONS AGREED TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF ITS MILITARY OBSERVERS IN LIBERIA FROM 70 TO 160. WEST AFRICAN PEACEKEEPING FORCE OFFICIALS SAY THEY WANT TO RAISE THEIR FORCE LEVEL FROM SEVEN-THOUSAND TO 12-THOUSAND TO SUPERVISE THE DISARMAMENT, BUT THAT IT WILL COST ABOUT 150-MILLION DOLLARS.

UNDER A PEACE DEAL SIGNED LAST AUGUST IN THE NIGERIAN CAPITAL, ABUJA, DEPLOYMENT OF THE WEST AFRICAN PEACEKEEPING FORCE WAS DUE TO BEGIN OCTOBER 2ND, ALLOWING THE DISARMAMENT TO BEGIN ON DECEMBER FIRST. BUT PEACEKEEPING FORCE OFFICIALS SAY IT IS NOW HOPING TO BEGIN DEPLOYING TROOPS BY MID-DECEMBER, IF IT HAS THE FUNDS TO DO SO.

THE U-N SECRETARY-GENERAL HAS CALLED ON THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO DO MORE TO HELP THE PEACE PROCESS IN LIBERIA. HE SAID THE WEST AFRICAN PEACEKEEPING FORCE MUST BE SUPPORTED NOT ONLY FOR THE SAKE OF LIBERIA BUT IN HONOR OF THE PRINCIPLES OF REGIONAL COOPERATION AND PEACE THAT ARE CENTRAL TO THE UNITED NATIONS CHARTER.

GHANAIAN PRESIDENT JERRY RAWLINGS IS THE CURRENT LEADER OF THE WEST AFRICAN REGIONAL ECONOMIC BLOC KNOWN AS “ECOWAS.” GHANA AND NIGERIA HAVE BEEN CENTRAL TO THE BROKERING OF A PEACE AGREEMENT AMONG LIBERIA’S WARRING FACTIONS. LIBERIA’S CIVIL WAR, LAUNCHED IN LATE 1989, HAS KILLED MORE THAN 150-THOUSAND PEOPLE AND DISPLACED MORE THAN ONE-HALF OF THE POPULATION.

MR. BOUTROS-GHALI IS ON A FOUR-NATION TOUR OF WEST AFRICA. FOLLOWING HIS VISIT IN GHANA, THE U-N SECRETARY-GENERAL WILL MEET WITH INTERIM GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS IN LIBERIA AS WELL AS MEMBERS OF THE WEST AFRICAN PEACEKEEPING FORCE AND THE U-N OBSERVER MISSION IN LIBERIA. MR. BOUTROS-GHALI WILL ALSO VISIT BENIN AND IVORY COAST. (SIGNED)

NEB/WPM/JWH/GPT

28-Nov-95 12:02 PM EST (1702 UTC) NNNN

Source: Voice of America