Liberia awaits sanctions verdict

The sanctions ban weapons sales to Liberia

By Mark Doyle The BBC's west Africa correspondent

The UN Sanctions Committee is meeting in New York to consider a possible extension of sanctions against Liberia, though the west African country says there is no longer any justification for imposing them.

A boycott on arms sales to Liberia and diamond sales from it was imposed because of the government's support for rebels in neighbouring Sierra Leone.

Liberian President Charles Taylor opposes UN sanctions

The United Nations accused Liberia of trading in diamonds obtained by the rebels and encouraging the chaos the rebels caused throughout the west African region.

A recent UN report said that although there were still some rebels of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) in Liberia, they did not cause any direct threat to the stability that has now returned to Sierra Leone.

But the panel of experts nevertheless recommended that the sanctions against the Liberian Government should remain because of the continuing volatility in the region.

The Liberian Information Minister, Reginald Goodridge, said this was clearly unfair.

He argued that if the original reason for the sanctions was his government's support for the rebels, and that if that support was no longer significant - as even the UN panel of experts agreed - anyone of good faith would agree to lifting the sanctions.

Suspected manipulation

While Mr Goodridge is right to say the panel of experts has reported that there is now minimal contact between the Liberian Government and the RUF, the UN report also highlights wider problems, which the Sanctions Committee may take into account.

Thousands have been displaced by fighting in the region

These include probable arms sanctions-busting by the Liberian Government.

It also mentions the suspected manipulation by the Monrovia regime of a humanitarian crisis, which made thousands of Liberians homeless, in order to get international sympathy for the sanctions to be lifted.

The allegation is that the Liberian Government covertly caused unrest and then said it was the work of rebels.

This extraordinary charge, which is contained in the UN panel's report, is strongly denied by Liberia, but is given some currency by diplomats and aid workers in Monrovia.