Ghana's Role in Liberia Lauded(Page 5) July 30, 2008

Story:Michael Donkor, Monrovia, Liberia

THE Special Representative of the United Nations (UN) Secretary General in Liberia, Ms Ellen Margrethe Loj has lauded Ghana’s role at helping in reconstructing Liberia after the war.
She said apart from the tremendeous support that Ghana has rendered, its expertise had distinguished themselves among their counterparts from other countries who had also come to Liberia to help rebuild that nation.
Ms Loj made the call when the Minister of Defence, Mr Albert Kan-Dapaah paid a courtesy call on her in her office at the UN Headquarters in Monrovia .
The Defence Minister recently lead a delegation in Liberia to witness the United Nations Mission in Liberia’s Ghanbatt eight medals day celebration.
Experts in various areas such as the Judiciary, Armed Forces, the Police Service and the Prisons Service
have been sent to Liberia by the government as part of its contribution to help reconstruct the country
Ms Loj commended the Ghanaian troops serving with the UN mission in Liberia for the professionalism and discipline that they had demonstrated on the mission
She said Grand Bassa and River Cess counties where Ghanaian troops were deployed was a difficult area but so far they have been able to maintain effective security there.
She explained that the area was difficult because of the influx of unemployed migrants.
She said some of those people posed security threats but there had not been any single incident of security lapse recorded by the UN.
The Minister later called on the Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in charge of Rule of Law, Professor Henrietta Mensah-Bonsu who also emphasized the good works of the Ghanaian peacekeepers.
She said the Ghanaian troops had discharged their duties well and won the hearts of many in Liberia.
She said the human rights record in Liberia had improved over the years.
She said a Women and Juvenile Unit of the Liberia Police Force was being established.
She said efforts were also underway to establish a Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice in Liberia.
Prof. Mensah-Bonsu said the Truth and Reconciliation Commission was also making progress towards healing the wounds of the people and unifying the country
Ghana’s Ambassador to Liberia, Major-General Francis Adu-Amanfoh (retd) said Ghanaians in Liberia have been law abiding and were going about their duties freely.