SECRETARY-GENERAL DEEPLY CONCERNED OVER FIGHTING IN LIBERIA;
URGES ALL PARTIES TO ENSURE PROTECTION OF CIVILIANS
The following statement was issued today by the spokesman for
Secretary-General Kofi Annan:
The Secretary-General is deeply concerned over fighting near the town of Zwedru, Liberia in which thousands of civilians are reported to have been displaced from their homes.� He is also concerned about the safety of a number of humanitarian workers from United Nations and non-governmental agencies who had been assisting populations in the Zwedru area, and have been out of contact with their respective organizations since yesterday.� Some have escaped to safety in neighbouring Côte d’Ivoire, but we are still awaiting news of the others.
The Secretary-General urges all parties to the conflict to ensure the protection of civilian populations caught in fighting, including humanitarian workers.� He calls on all parties to the conflict to respect the provisions of international humanitarian law that oblige combatants to ensure the safety of humanitarian personnel.
* *** *
