President Clinton said May 11 that the U.S. military will assist U.N. peacekeeping forces in Sierra Leone, providing transport of reinforcements, ammunition and supplies.
In a statement released after the president talked with U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, Clinton also said he has asked the Rev. Jesse Jackson, his Special Envoy for Democracy in Africa, to travel to West Africa to work with leaders there for a peaceful resolution of the Sierra Leone crisis.
Following is the text of the president's statement:
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May 11, 2000
THE WHITE HOUSE
STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT
UN Secretary General Annan and I agreed this morning that the international community must intensify international efforts to restore peace in Sierra Leone and to prevent a return to all-out civil war. The situation there has been grave. But the UN is determined to fulfill its mission; African and other nations are willing to act; and we are ready to help them.
I have instructed our military to provide needed assistance to accelerate the deployment of troops to UNAMSIL, and informed the UN that the United States will help transport reinforcements. A U.S. military transport aircraft is now in Jordan to move ammunition and supplies that are needed immediately for the Jordanian elements in Sierra Leone.
We intend to support the commitment West African nations have made to send additional troops to Sierra Leone to restore peace. A U.S. military team is now in Nigeria to determine what assistance might be needed from the international community to outfit and transport these forces as quickly as possible.
I welcome the statement West African leaders made on Tuesday at their emergency Summit in Abuja, Nigeria, calling for the release of all hostages and pledging to protect democratic institutions in Sierra Leone.
I have asked Rev. Jesse Jackson, my Special Envoy for Democracy in Africa, to return to the region to work with leaders there for a peaceful resolution of this crisis. Rev. Jackson has been actively involved in our diplomatic effort to help the people of Sierra Leone realize their peaceful aspirations.
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(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)