President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Address To The Nation At The Unity Conference Centre, Outside Monrovia

President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf is addressing a divided Legislature at the Unity Conference Center in Virginia, outside Monrovia. President Sirleaf went to Virginia few hours after the Supreme Court of Liberia ruled that all actions by the renegade Representatives are unconstitutional.

Also, several Senators and Representatives including Speaker Edwin Snowe have converged on the Centennial Pavilion on Ashmun Street in Central Monrovia. The Legislators went to the Centennial Pavilion after the Supreme Court of Liberia upheld the Prohibition on the Virginia sitting, recognizing the Speakership of Snowe.

Speaker Snowe described the ruling of the Supreme Court as a victory for the rule of law in post-conflict Liberia. In a statement issued, Speaker Snowe called on the relevant institution of government to ensure the return of the chairs of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker.

The chairs mysteriously disappeared at the Centennial Pavilion last week and surfaced at the Unity Conference Center in Virginia. The General Services Agency, custodian of all government, denied having any acknowledge of how the left the Pavilion and surfaced in Virginia.

AS TAYLOR TRAIL STARTS: PROSECUTOR PROMISES ACESS FOR SIERRA LEONEANS

SPECIAL COURT PRESS RELEASE Freetown, 29 January 2007:

The trial of former Liberian President Charles Taylor is slated to begin this spring, as ordered by a Judge of the United Nations-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone.

The case against Mr. Taylor, who is accused of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity during the civil war in Sierra Leone from 1996 through 2002, will begin on June 4.

At the Taylor Status Conference held on January 26 at the trial venue in The Hague, it was announced that the date for commencement of trial had been changed from the original date of April 2 at the request of the Taylor Defence to provide additional time for its preparations.

Justice Teresa Doherty, who presided at the Status Conference, made rulings on several other matters, including the setting of the date for the filing of pre-trial briefs.

Taylor has pleaded innocent to charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity linked to the killing, mutilation, and sexual violence involving thousands of victims, as well as the recruitment and use of child soldiers.

Responding to reporters questions after the hearing concerning the nature of the Prosecution's case, Stephen Rapp, The Prosecutor, said, “The indictment alleged acts that included the most horrendous things humans can do to one another.

Whereas the other trials of the Special Court for Sierra Leone are being conducted in that nation's capital, Freetown, the Taylor case will unfold at the facilities of the International Criminal Court in The Hague. The Prosecutor noted that the decision to move the trial was a result of negotiations aimed to keep the peace in Sierra Leone and the region as a whole.

The decision was supported by the United Nations and the key governments in the region, including Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf. Mr. Rapp emphasised that while the trial has been moved due to regional security concerns, it is the Special Court for Sierra Leone, and only the Special Court, that is conducting this trial.

I want to emphasise from the outset that this trial will be conducted first and foremost in the name of, and on behalf of, the people of Sierra Leone. Regarding concerns that the distance between The Hague and the Sierra Leonean capital would prevent the people of the country from witnessing justice being done, The Prosecutor spoke about the extensive Outreach programme of the Court.

Last year, 780 meetings were held in every region of the country to inform the public of the Court's work, Mr. Rapp commented. Every effort is being and will be made to ensure that Sierra Leoneans have transparent access to this trial. Each case at the Special Court is heard, argued and decided upon in their name, and the many miles between The Hague and Freetown will not change that.

IN SUPRIME COURT HEARING: SNOWE DEFEATS MAJORITY BLOC, REMAINS SPEAKER

Over 46 members of the House of Representatives who are currently holding session in Virginia, outside the Capitol and opting for the removal of the Speaker of that august body were today disappointed following a Supreme Court that their action is “unconstitutional” for them to sit in the Township of Virginia and called for the removal of the Speaker.

During the hearing today with hundreds of onlookers and supporters of the two groups (Snowe and the Virginia lawmakers), the Supreme Court ruled that the procedure used by the renegade Representatives to remove Speaker Edwin Snowe is not in the interest of the rule of law.

The Supreme Court handed down ruling today in the constitutional crisis at the House of Representatives. In the ruling, the Supreme Court said every act carried on by the renegade Representatives in Virginia is unconstitutional and illegal. The nation’s highest court considered as an affront the decision of the renegade Representatives to ignore a Writ of Prohibition from the court. The full-bench of the Supreme Court of Liberia ruled that the Writ of Prohibition from its Justice in Chamber is upheld. This means Mr. Snowe is the legitimate Speaker of the House of Representatives until his removal is done legally.
Following the ruling, Speaker Snowe and his team of lawyers headed by Cllr. Varney Sherman were seen in a jubilant mood, as they drove in a convoy towards the city centre.

As Nigerian Police Receives Honor, UNMIL Police Boss Urged Them to do More, Says Nigerian Police Contribution is Critical To Peace In LIberia

Monrovia, Liberia – United Nations Police Commissioner, Mr. Mohammed Alhassan, has said that the deployment of Nigerian Police peacekeepers in Liberia is a vital contribution to the success of the UNMIL’s mandate. Mr. Alhassan was speaking at a medal ceremony on 23 January, where he decorated eight Nigerian civilian police and two Immigration officers with UN peacekeeping medals on behalf of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Mr. Alan Doss.“As Police and Immigration officers, you assist and support the Liberia National Police in escorting, patrolling, recruitment, training, crowd control, and criminal investigations,” the Commissioner said. “You are also actively involved in the reform currently underway with Liberia’s Immigration Bureau. You are the foundation of our principle objective of maintaining law and order and public safety.” He praised Nigeria for being an important member and strong ally of the United Nations for many years, with a steady commitment to the ideals, principles and objectives of the United Nations. “You have shown the world how deeply you value international peace and security. The award of medals is a symbolic token of the gratitude the international community owes you, the peacekeepers of the United Nations, for your commitment and dedication to duty,” the UN Police Commissioner pointed out. Mr. Alhassan then reminded the Police and Immigration officers to always strictly abide by the Secretary-General’s policy of zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse: “We must always be on our best behaviour and work towards maintaining the respect and trust of the Liberian people.” He paid tribute to the Contingent Commander, Assistant Police Commissioner Mustapha Muhammed, for his excellent leadership, and the Police and Immigration officers for their spirit and determination. Nigerian Police, Immigration and Corrections officers are currently deployed in Monrovia, Bo-Sinje (Grand Cape Mount County), Barclayville (Grand Kru County), Salala (Margibi County), Toe Town (Grand Gedeh County), and Gbarnga (Bong County).Nigeria began contributing peacekeepers to United Nations peacekeeping missions as far back as 1960 starting with the first United Nations Mission in Congo. Since then Nigerian civilian Police officers and Formed Police Units have been serving in missions in UNTAG Namibia, UNTAC Cambodia, UNPROVOR Yugoslavia, UNAVEM I,II,III Angola, UNISON Somalia, UNMOZ Mozambique, UNMIR Rwanda, UNMBIH Bosnia-Herzegovina, UNTAET East Timor and UNAMSIL Sierra Leone. The medal award ceremony was attended by the Deputy Head of Mission of the Nigerian Embassy in Liberia, Mr. Folu Ogunbanwo, the Inspector-General, Liberia National Police, Ms. Beatrice Munah Sieh, Liberia’s Immigration and Naturalization Commissioner, Ms. Abla Williams, and other senior officers of the UN and Liberian Police.

THOUSANDS AWAIT MERCYSHIP TO LIBERIA

The humanitarin medical ship, Mercyship is expected to arrive in Liberia soon, to cater thousands of medical cases. During its stay here last year, J. Cholo Brooks featured its works as the story seen below:

"The hospital ship which arrived in Liberia for the first in March of last year with a crew of over 370 professional medical staff is said to be making a tremendous strive in rescuing thousands of Liberians who have been victimized by various illnesses, including the restoration of their deformities.The Mercy Ship Anastasis which is currently being docked at the Free Port of Monrovia is providing free specialized surgeries, development assistance, and educational programs, given thousands of Liberians the opportunity to benefit from its humanitarian programs and services.When our Liberia Correspondent visited the Ship at the National Port of Authority in Monrovia to witness its numerous humanitarian medical services on board, hundreds of children and the elderly were seen trooped aboard the ship to seek proper medical treatment, some of which could not be handled by local medical practitioners due to the lack of modern technology and the professional medical know-how.Taken our Correspondent on a tour of the ship, its Media Liaison Officer, J. Todd Sorrell said the ship grouped 31 nationals from around the world who are voluntarily contributing their humanitarian services to the Liberian people who are drowning in the health situation, especially in the health sector of countries visited over the years.He said Mercy Ship Anastasis global humanitarian services is not only limited to health care services; its highly skilled surgeons perform thousands of operations to remove tumours, correct cleft lips and palates, align crossed eye, repair fistulas, give sight to the blind, as well as provide a wide range orthopedic operations.Stressing further Mr. Sorrell said the following professional medical checkup such as eye surgeries, eye laser, eye consultation, plastic surgeries, dental care and the distribution of prescription of glasses were also been looked at, others include Church empowerment; renovation of schools, training of teachers, workshops, the distribution of Bibles, HIV/AIDS awareness and the holding of church leadership conference.Speaking further on board the Ship, the Executive Director of the M/V Anastasis (Mercy Ship), Madam Solfrid Quist said the mission of the crew to Liberia did also focus on training; the training of traditional birth attendants, baby feeding education, Community Health care education and the training of local surgeons.“Presently we are carryout a renovation of one of a school in the Royesville area, and also we are involve in water and sanitation; the drilling of 4 wells, the construction of 20 latrines and the constructing of bridges in rural Liberia”, the Mercy Ship Executive Director stressed.During the tour of the ship several persons were seen making effort to receive the “free medical gift” from their visitors, the Mercy Ship professional medical crew who were also seen humanitarianly taken care of their Liberian patients, “Mercy Ship provides medical care, relief aid, community development and long term-sustainable change in developing nations”, the ship promotional leaflet handled over to our Correspondent on board the ship read.Also speaking to our Correspondent, the Program Officer of the M/V Anastasis (Mercy Ship), Chris Guilebeau, an American said they were overwhelm of the reception being accorded them from the Liberian leadership headed by Madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf who praised the entire management of the ship during her visit on board the ship, followed her visit, the Vice President of Liberia Ambassador Joseph Boakai also made a brief visit.Many of the patients interviewed by our Liberia Correspondent praised the staff of this global medical ship, “ words are inadequate to express, these guys are indeed good, can you imagine I have been suffering for over fifteen years with swollen face and crossed eye, but since I came over on board this ship my problem has been solved. Thank God for Mercy Ship,” a lady who just finished with her operation prior to our Correspondent’s on board the ship said.This lady was among 100 others who had gone on board the ship for treatment, some of the patients said they were being isolated in their communities due to severity of their illnesses, “With God being on my side, Mercy Ship is my savior, I will never forget them”, expressing her joy, one of the ladies, perhaps in her late 40s speaking to our Correspondent on board the ship said.The patients including elderly and children were seen on the ship with deformities, seeking the professional medical assistance of the Mercy Ship crew, “My child has been suffering from swollen eye, many in our community rejected him because of his condition, but as God could have it, I brought him over to the Mercy Ship people, he has gone through the operation, everything is okayed with him”, another Liberian in a joyous mood following an eye operation on her nine years old son.The work of the medical crew of Mercy Ship was indeed amazing as our Correspondent glanced at some of the patients mostly kids some of whom in their early teens, the smiling faces of most of the workers on board this ship impressed him as he went on with his tour on the ship. “Everyone here are God fearing people who belong to a God believing Church; as volunteers we put God first in our doing”, one of the girls on board ship, perhaps in her early twenties from the United States said."

OFFER BY CONTE FAILS TO END GUINEA STRIKE

BBCNEWS

The general strike in Guinea is continuing despite President Lansana Conte's offer to name a new prime minister - a key union demand.
Thousands of people have held protests in the eastern town of Kankan, reports the AFP news agency.
Talks are also continuing, focused on how much power the president would hand over to the prime minister.
Almost 60 people have died in 16 days of protests, organised by unions who say Mr Conte should step down.
Officials now say that at least 49 people were killed in the capital, Conakry on Monday - 16 more than were previously said to have died.
AFP says the authorities did not try to stop the Kankan march, while there are fewer police than in previous days on the streets of Conakry.
The talks are attended by trades union leaders, members of the Supreme Court and religious leaders.
Action
The trades unions said they wanted first to see concrete action from President Conte before ending the strike.

Strongman feels the heat
"The people of Guinea do not want any more promises. They want something concrete," said Abdoulaye Sow, one of the leaders of the Syndicated Union of Workers of Guinea (USTG).
"It is an agreement in principle. Now it is necessary to put it into practice," he said.
There is no word from the government on the outcome of the talks.
Mr Conte seized power in a 1984 coup but has since won three elections.
The strikers accuse Mr Conte, who is his 70s and suffers from diabetes, of mismanaging the economy and personally securing the release from prison of two men accused of corruption.
This is the third general strike in a year.

MAN WHO RAPED 50 WOMEN BREAKS JAIL IN LIBERIA

A renowned women rapist who reportedly raped 50 women in the Western Liberian Provincial City of Tubmanburg, Bomi County has broken jail in that County. Varney Gararmah broke jail at 9:30 Tuesday Night along with six other inmates. Due to the seriousness of this notorious criminal’s action, a team of police investors has left Monrovia for the County. Varney Gargamah was reportedly tried and convicted for ten years on charge of rape. He was due to have been transferred to Monrovia today. Thousands of Women in the County are said to be calliung on the Central Government to speedily re-arrest Varney Gargamah

Crisis In Guinea: President Conte Accepts Demand, Agrees To Name Prime Minister

BBCNEWS

Monday's clashes left at least 33 people deadGuinea's President Lansana Conte has agreed to name a new prime minister - one of the key demands of trade unions to end a general strike, mediators say.
They say he made the concession at talks attended by trade union leaders, members or the Supreme Court and religious leaders.
But the trade unions say the strike, that began on 10 January, will continue until all their demands are met.
On Monday at least 33 people died in clashes between police and protestors.
Etienne Leno, one of the religious leaders who met Mr Conte on Wednesday, told Reuters news agency that the president was ready to listen to the people.

"He is even in agreement that, if the people want one, there should be a new prime minister," Mr Leno said.
"Now we must find a credible candidate."
But the trade unions said they wanted first to see concrete action from President Conte before ending the strike.
"The people of Guinea do not want any more promises. They want something concrete," said Abdoulaye Sow, one of the leaders of the Syndicated Union of Workers of Guinea (USTG).
"It is an agreement in principle. Now it is necessary to put it into practice," he said.
There is no word from the government on the outcome of the talks.
Mr Conte seized power in a 1984 coup but has since won three elections.
The strikers accuse Mr Conte, who is his 70s and suffers from diabetes, of mismanaging the economy and personally securing the release from prison of two men accused of corruption.
This is the third general strike in a year.

GNN Gives Top Liberian Investment Companies International Exposure

The Management of the Global News Network (GNN), publisher of one of Liberia's informative news magazine, THE STAR Magazine has begun profiling major companies in Liberia regarding their services to the Liberian people.

According to the CEO of GNN, Mr. J. Cholo Brooks, the objective of this exercise is to help promote these companies that are helping to restoring Liberia's economy image after years of civil strive.

Mr. Brooks said targeted companies the Liberia Agriculture Company (LAC), the Salala Rubber Corporation, Weala Rubber Corporation, the Liberia Beverage & Bottling Company, the MANCO and several other more.

Meanwhile, Mr. Brooks and his team of journalists are today leaving Monrovia to Tubmanburg, Bomi County to start the project, looking at the newest company, the Liberia Beverage & Bottling Company which is producing for the first time in Liberia a natural mineral drinking water in they country.

LIBERIAN LAWMAKER WANTED BY U.S. FBI FOR RAPE

Honorable Kettehkumu E. Murry of the House of Representatives and Chairman on Executive is wanted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for his alleged involvement in sexual activities with a minor in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA in 1996.
According to a notice published in a local daily in Monrovia, the U.S. Government charged Murry with "indecent liberties with a child, and attempted rape."
According to the published notice, the warrant was issued by the United States Government on April 15, 1997.
Murry is among his fellow lawmakers that opted the removal of the House Representatives Speaker, Edwin Snowe for what the House termed his inability to lead them.
Since the notice was published in the paper, the Liberian lawmaker has disappeared amongst his colleagues at the Unity Conference Center where they are meeting regular for sessions. Last week, 46 members of the house, led by its chairman of the Executive Committee, Kettehkumeh Murray, voted to remove the speaker on grounds that he is incompetent to lead the legislative body.
Last Thursday, It was announced on radio in the Liberian capital Monrovia that the Speaker was removed by 46 members of the legislature following days of controversies over the constitutionlaity of their venue.
The lawmakers cited Snowe's lack of leadership. They said the image of the House of Representatives has been severely damaged by the notoriety of his pariah status as manifested by the continuous UN travel ban and asset freeze placed on him.
Edwin Snowe was also accused of taking an interpreter on a trip without permission and meddling in Liberia's diplomatic policy on China - for which he apologised and received a parliamentary pardon.
Legal scholars in Liberia have argued against the action of the 46 lawmakers, terming it a violation of the constitution.
Human Rights advocates argued that Mr. Snowe has not been allowed due process by his pears, and was therefore being ejected unconstitutionally. They say they could not endorse the removal action based on mere allegations by a renegade group of lawmakers who were already tussling over a venue for the House to convene.
Mr. Snowe and his supporters have accused the office of President, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf of masterminding the efforts to have him removed. But Presidential press secretary, Cyrus Wleh Badio denied the claims and said the president, under no circumstance would do such. He challenged Mr. Snowe to produce evidence of the president's involvement in his removal.
Prior to the vote to remove Speaker Snowe, two lawmakers admitted receiving a bribe of US$5,000. each to spearhead the removal of the Speaker. They fell short of saying the Executive Mansion was involved