UN May Lift Liberia Diamond Sanctions
April 12, 06 by IDEX Online Staff Reporter
According to Ambassador Ellen Margrethe Loj, Denmark's ambassador to the United Nations and chair of the Security Council Committee in Liberia, sanctions on exports of diamond and timbre may be soon lifted.
During Ambassador Loj's visit to the country last week, she said that she intends to report that the Government of Liberia is working hard to meet the benchmarks set for lifting the sanctions.
"The Security Council will, in a not distance future, lift the sanctions on timber and diamond," she said at a news conference in the country Saturday. The U.N. Security Council is scheduled to review the sanctions in June.
It seems that the U.S. is supporting the lifting of sanctions, and is reportedly providing technical assistance to the Liberian Ministry of Lands, Mines & Energy in implementing the Kimberley Process Certification Process (KPCS).
Donald E. Booth, U.S Ambassador to Liberia, said that his government is providing this assistance, estimated at $ 1.5 million, to help the Liberian government meet the requirement for ending the sanctions. In the ambassador's view, the key issue is being KPCS compliant.
