Liberia seeks sanctions waiver

Sanctions prevent Liberian officials from flying abroad

Liberian Foreign Minister Monie Captan has applied to the UN for a waive of a ban on travel to Sierra Leone so that he can watch a World Cup football qualifying match.

The sanctions on Liberia, which apply to senior officials, were imposed by the Security Council in May after accusations that Liberia was helping rebels in Sierra Leone in exchange for diamonds.

The Liberian ambassador to the UN said Mr Captan had recently met his Sierra Leonean counterpart and "thought it would be a good gesture in terms of cementing the relationship if he went to Freetown with the football team".

Sunday's game is Liberia's last chance to qualify for the 2002 World Cup.

A group of officials, including two other cabinet ministers, want to accompany Mr Captan.

Ambassador Lami Kawah said the exemption request had been made on Wednesday to the council's Sierra Leone sanctions committee.

Diamonds for arms

While Liberia denies the alleged arms- and diamond-trafficking with Sierra Leone's rebels, President Charles Taylor said at the time the sanctions started that Liberia would comply.

Diamonds are fuelling the Sierra Leone conflict

Tense relations between the neighbouring West African countries have prompted heavy security for Sunday's game in Freetown, Sierra Leone's capital.

Rebels in neighbouring Sierra Leone are trying to overthrow the internationally-recognised government in Freetown.

The Revolutionary United Front (RUF), who have a record of brutality and mutilation of civilians during their long-running civil war, currently control the diamond-mining areas of the country.

They have just announced that they are suspending their disarmament programme because of United Nations travel restrictions on one of their leaders. RUF spokesman Gibril Massaquoi told Reuters news agency that the official, Omrie Golley, had been prevented from travelling under UN sanctions imposed on Liberia for its support of the Sierra Leone rebels.