wfn.org | LWF General Secretary Lauds Liberian Religious Body for Its

["Frank Imhoff" <franki@elca.org>]

LWF General Secretary Lauds Liberian Religious Body for Its
Contribution to Peace Process
Inter-Faith Delegation Meets US Ambassador, UN Representatives
and Warring Factions' Leaders

MONROVIA, Liberia/GENEVA, 23 October 2003 (LWI) - The Lutheran
World Federation (LWF) General Secretary Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko has
commended the Inter-Religious Council of Liberia (IRCL) for its
role in maintaining and improving peace and stability in Liberia.

Noko, currently heading an inter-faith delegation to the West
African country said the IRCL's commitment in the process to
restore peace in a country ravaged by 14 years of civil conflict
benefits not only Liberia but also the entire continent. "Africa
is experiencing a new day," he remarked in a meeting with IRCL's
officials. He affirmed solidarity with the council in its ongoing
work, stating that "Liberians have the right to enjoy peace and
not war." 

Noko particularly lauded the IRCL's support toward the Economic
Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the regional body that
has played a central mediating role in Liberia's peace process.
The general secretary is leading a six-person mission to Monrovia
that includes religious representatives from Ghana, Guinea,
Nigeria, Senegal and Sierra Leone. Hosted by the IRCL, they have
held meetings with different faith-based and civil society
groups, United Nations and ECOWAS representatives, and officials
from the embassy of the United States of America.

The ECOWAS representative to Liberia Francis Rene Blain, cited
the IRCL's "valuable and effective role" in the Accra, Ghana,
peace talks that led to the establishment of the current
transitional power-sharing government between political parties,
the outgoing administration, and the two rebel groups - Liberians
United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) and Movement for
Democracy in Liberia (MODEL). Interim president Gyude Bryant,
chairperson of the Liberia Action Party was sworn in on October
14. 

During a luncheon attended by the US Ambassador to Liberia John
Blaney, and United Nations Children's Fund country representative
Dr Syrille Niamiego, Noko advocated "togetherness" in rebuilding
the country, saying, "everybody will need to be a part of this
new day in Liberia." Blaney said Liberia requires both spiritual
and economic development and called on the IRCL to work together
with the US government in improving the local situation. "The
people of Liberia need economic development, poverty alleviation,
creation of jobs and a new day that leaves behind the culture of
impunity," he added. 

During talks with the UN Secretary General's Special Envoy to
Liberia Jacque Paul Klein, the envoy said the global body was
committed to ending the war in Liberia, and expressed openness
toward including the IRCL in the relevant processes.

The inter-faith team also met with key LURD official George Dweh,
who said his group, was committed to ensuring the return of peace
to Liberia. In separate talks with MODEL representatives, their
leader Tiah J. D. Slanger commended the IRCL for working with all
the parties in the Liberian conflict. He stood by the movement's
affirmation to abide by the Accra comprehensive peace plan put
together last June.

Rival groups have fought each other since Charles Taylor took
power in 1989, until his departure mid-August for exile in
Nigeria following international pressure and an intense rebel
advance on the capital Monrovia. The civil war has adversely
affected most of the country's 3.3 million people, leaving an
estimated 200,000 dead, and over one million displaced. 

Established in the early 1990s by the Liberian Council of
Churches and National Muslim Council, the IRCL has played a
central role in mediation, reconciliation and conflict resolution
among the different warring parties in Liberia. 

In a country situation report mid-October, Mr Charles Pitchford,
the LWF Liberia representative and director of the Department for
World Service (DWS) program there said there are high
expectations among the Liberian people, with the anticipation for
an end to the fighting and new governance. "Civil society is
beginning to strengthen in Liberia as more and more organizations
demand a sustained peace, and to be governed in accordance with
the principles of good governance," he said. The LWF field office
collaborates with the Lutheran Church in Liberia, focusing on
relief and rehabilitation work, rebuilding community
infrastructures, and integrated development programs aimed at
increasing agricultural production and stimulating income
generation.

The inter-faith delegation's visit to Liberia is part of the
follow-up to an LWF-facilitated pan-African summit of religious
representatives in 2002. A Plan of Action adopted at their first
gathering in Johannesburg, South Africa October 2002 calls for,
among other things, inter-faith delegation visits to
conflict-affected parts of the continent. Other initiatives
include regional inter-faith consultations that started with the
September 30-October 1 conference in Johannesburg, bringing
together eleven Southern African countries. Similar meetings are
scheduled for Western Africa and the Eastern/Central region. (778
words)

(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the
Lutheran tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund (Sweden), the LWF now
has 136 member churches in 76 countries representing over 61.7
million of the 65.4 million Lutherans worldwide. The LWF acts on
behalf of its member churches in areas of common interest such as
ecumenical and inter-faith relations, theology, humanitarian
assistance, human rights, communication, and the various aspects
of mission and development work. Its secretariat is located in
Geneva, Switzerland.)

[Lutheran World Information (LWI) is LWF' information service.
Unless specifically noted, material presented does not represent
positions or opinions of the LWF or of its various units. Where
the dateline of an article contains the notation (LWI), the
material may be freely reproduced with acknowledgment.]

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