Accra, June 30, GNA - President John Agyekum Kufuor on Monday appealed to the United Nations Security Council to hold consultations with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to find means within which offenders in the Liberian conflict must be taken to task to secure ceasefire and peace. He said: "As we seek to use the rule of law to bring to book offenders against humanity, we should also take into account the sufferings of the larger community within which the miscreants operate."

President Kufuor made the appeal when the 15-member UN Security Council Mission led by Mr Jeremy Greenstock, UK Ambassador, called on him at the Castle, Osu, before a closed-door meeting.

The Mission is on an eight-day tour of some West African states to hold discussions with government officials on troubled spots in the Sub-Region and how to end the instability.

They had already visited Guinea Bissau and Nigeria and would leave for Cote d'Ivoire.

President Kufuor said the announcement by the UN Special Prosecutor at the War Crimes Court in Sierra Leone for the arrest of the Liberian President Charles Taylor when the peace talks on Liberia were in progress in Accra at the same time was an unfortunate coincidence that nearly torpedoed the efforts of the ECOWAS Mediation Council.

"Without debasing the role of the Special Prosecutor, we all appreciate his role because due regard for due process of the law is now an article of faith within the Councils of the ECOWAS", he added.

President Kufuor called on the UN and especially the Security Council to agree with ECOWAS that the priorities of Liberia were many but perhaps a decision must be taken on what sets of priorities that of necessity should take precedence over others.

"Even now many people are being displaced in Liberia many others have received injuries and about 300 people have died because of the continuing conflict," he said.

President Kufuor said the Special Prosecutor would perform his duty but at the same time, all must see it as a necessity to attain a ceasefire to bring peace in Liberia and allow humanitarian agencies to move in with their relief supplies to the suffering people.

He announced that ECOWAS Foreign Ministers would meet this week to consider the establishment of a stabilisation force for Monrovia for the peace talks to continue.

"To put the force in place, the ceasefire must hold and unless we secure the co-operation of the Security Council and the international community generally, the peace process might be dangerously undermined."

On issues to be discussed by the Mission, President Kufuor said Guinea Bissau was ready for elections but the elections would not be useful when the conduct was not free and fair.

He said leaders in Africa had agreed that democratic elections should be the way forward for the development of the continent and urged the Security Council to aim at an enabling environment for the people to have free and fair elections in that country in October.

"ECOWAS is concerned and interested and would welcome any contribution from the Security Council to support the people of Guinea Bissau to establish a government of their choice to govern them."

President Kufuor said a transitional government was in place in Cote d'Ivoire but the situation was still tense.

He therefore appealed to the Mission to consult all sides in the conflict, the President, transitional government and all the identifiable groups. However, he said, there were two problems still hanging, the first was the consensus selection of a Minister of Defence and Minister Interior, adding" whatever you can do among all the factions to facilitate a solution of these problems will be appreciated".

President Kufuor said Ghana had supported the ECOFORCE in Cote d'Ivoire with troops and had to use its meagre resources to sustain the soldiers.

He said for the period between now and the elections scheduled for 2005, all concerned should assist countries contributing troops to maintain a secured stability in Cote d'Ivoire to enable them to pull their weight.

President Kufuor commended France for her tremendous support to restore peace in Cote d'Ivoire but said the leadership of the forces must be ECOWAS.

"Whatever the Security Council and the friends of West Africa could do to enable ECOWAS maintain and sustain its presence in Cote d'Ivoire will be most welcome.

"We need logistics and financial support. We welcome the co-operation from the UN but more substantial help practically would be welcomed."

On the Mission, President Kufuor said it was long overdue because the UN should have focused on the sub-Region when the Mano River crisis began. He said countries within the sub-Region had artificial boundaries that had caused a lot of misunderstanding and friction.

"There are still hidden forces that manipulate the crisis and unless the international community comes to the rescue of ECOWAS, the sub-Region would continue to have crisis."

Mr Greenstock stressed the need for a UN Peace Mission to the sub-region to hold consultations with the leaders and bring to the attention of the UN and the international community the needs of the area.

He said the UN was now conscious that the security and political problems were not confined to one country. Therefore a greater collective and assistance from institutions outside the sub-region was needed for security to progress.

Mr Greenstock said political decisions would have to be made by ECOWAS leaders. He added that they were keen to discuss with Ghana, which is the current Chairman of ECOWAS, how the sub-region could take a collective approach to the issues as problems in one country led to problems in another.

He said in Cote d'Ivoire, they would discuss how to firm up the Linas-Marcoussis Agreement and make sure that it was implemented.

Mr Greenstock said the Mission would not visit Monrovia because of the security situation.