a ceasefire in the fighting in Monrovia and saved the beleaguered Liberian nation as well as offered the parties to the Liberian conflict the renewed opportunity to implement the provisions of the Abuja Agreement.

Noting further with appreciation the recommendations made and the mechanism drawn up by the Seventh Meeting of the ECOWAS Committee of Nine on Liberia at Accra, on 7 ^th May, 1996,

Welcoming the initiatives taken by United States Government in setting up the International Contact Group on Liberia and hoping that the relations between ECOWAS and the Contact Group will be strengthened in the interests of the Liberian people,

Bearing in mind the relentless efforts deployed by ECOWAS and its Current Chairman, HE. Flight Lieutenant J.J. Rawlings, President of the Republic of Ghana, towards the implementation, as quickly as possible, of the Abuja Agreement, as well as the enormous sacrifices made by the countries of the region.

Conscious of the fact that these efforts would be made conclusive with the international community fully assuming its responsibility of providing ACOWAS with the necessary financial and material assistance without any special conditionality,

Also conscious of the fact that the restoration of peace in Liberia is the primary responsibility of Liberians themselves, especially the leaders of the warring factions who should place the interest of their people and country above their personal ambitions:

1. ELCOMENS the initiatives of the Current Chairman of ECOWAS and the Leaders in the Sub-region, as well as the efforts of the United States of America, which secured a ceasefire in the heavy fighting in Monrovia, and re-established the status of Monrovia as a safe have;

2. FULLY ENDORSES the decisions taken by the 7^th Ministerial Meeting of the ECOWAS Committee of Nine on Liberia, including the actions the warring factions should take between now and the next ECOWAS Summit in order to put back on track the peace process as recommended by the Abuja Agreement;

3. REITERATES ITS CONVICTION that the Abuja Agreement, remaining the best framework for the restoration of peace and stability in Liberia, and REAFFIRMS the need for the scrupulous implementation by the warring factions of all the provisions of the Agreement relating to the nature of the Council of State, the appellation of the Transitional Government or the role of ECOMOG;

4. WELCOMES AND SUPPORTS ECOWAS decision not to recognize any Liberian Government which comes into office through the use of force or violence in violation of the Abuja Agreement;

5. URGES all Liberian warring factions and the Liberia National Transitional Government (LNTG) to cooperate fully with ECOMOG and scrupulously respect the mandate assigned to it with the aim of infusing a new breath into the disarmament, demobilization and lighters reintegration operatio ns as set out in the Abuja Agreement;

6. COMMENDS the countries of the region, especially those cooperation with ECOMOG, for the sacrifices made in the search for a definitive solution to the Liberian conflict and URGES them to persevere in that direction despite the difficulties;

7. FURTHER COMMENDS the OAU Secretary-General for providing assistance to ECOWAS;

8. UNDERSCORES the urgent need for the international Community to honour the

pledges made at the UN sponsored Pledging Conference on Liberia held in New York, 27 October, 1995;

9. REINTERATES THE URGEND NEED for the International Community to scrupulously comply with the arms embargo imposed on the warring factions by the United Nations Security Council resolution 788.

10. EXPRESSES ITS PROFOUND GRATITUDE to the Government of Ghana for its extreme generosity by providing asylum to thousands of Liberians, mostly women and children, who fled their country by boat following the recent fighting in MOROVIA;

11. URGES the International Community to provide increased material and financial assistance to the countries of the region hosting Liberian refugees and CALLS ON African humanitarian NGOs to get actively involved in the assistance operations, thereby demonstrating more vividly the solidarity of the continent and its populations with the people of Liberia;

12. WARNS the Liberian warring faction leaders that should the ECOWAS assessment of the Liberian peace process during its next Summit meeting turns out to be negative, the OAU will help sponsor a draft resolution in the UN Security Council for the imposition of severe sanctions on them including the possibility of the setting up of a war crime tribunal to try the leadership of the Liberian warring factions on the gross violation of the human rights of Liberians;

13. REITERATES THE CALL on the Liberian warring factions by the ECOWAS and the international community to return all items looted from Monrovia during the recent round of fighting in April, 1996 to their rightful owners especially the UNOMIL, NGOs and other international organization or make full restitution to them;

14. APPEALS to the NGOs which have temporarily withdrawn their personnel from Liberia or maintain only a skeleton staff in the field in Liberia since the latest fighting in Monrovia in April, 1996 to resume full-scale operations in Liberia to end the hardship brought upon the innocent Liberian civilians by their action.

15. REQUESTS the Secretary-General of the Organization of African Unity to continue to monitor developments in the situation in Liberia and submit a report thereon to the next Ordinary Session of the Council of Ministers.