/ 16 April 1999

UN SPONSORING S LEONE TALKS

THE United Nations will facilitate upcoming talks in Togo between Sierra Leone rebel leader Foday Sankoh, facing execution for treason, and his field commanders, for peace in Sierra Leone, its envoy announced. UN Special Representative to Sierra Leone Francis Okello met President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah late Thursday and said that the United Nations will also provide military observers and secretarial assistance during the meeting. In the presence of delegates from Togo and Benin, Okello said that the UN Security Council has agreed “to lift the travelling ban temporarily on Sankoh and his men.” The talks are expected to be held at the weekend, but the UN envoy did not say whether his body will provide the transport.