British, Americans React to Foreign Secretary




The Independent (Banjul)

July 2, 2001
Posted to the web July 2, 2001

Alhagie Mbye
Banjul, the Gambia

Following a terse statement from The Gambia's Foreign Secretary which
questioned the credibility of a UN Security Council travel ban on Baba Jobe,
western diplomats have maintained that the decision to include him in the
list of banned individuals was not a trilateral initiative as was alleged
but a unanimous one.

Denying any overt involvement of the United Kingdom to include Mr Jobe who
is the Assistant Secretary at the Office of the President a statement from
the British High Commission last Friday said the decision to slap an
indefinite ban on Mr. Jobe was unanimously endorsed by the 15-member
Security Council and reflects the view of the international community on
those who were thought to have contributed to the illicit trade in blood
diamonds from Liberia and Sierra Leone and arms trafficking across West
Africa.

The Gambian Foreign Secretary Momodou Lamin Sedat Jobe had in a letter to
the Security Council stated among other things that he was informed that
Baba Jobe's inclusion on Resolution 1343 came after France, United States
and Britain prevailed upon the Security Council to include him on it. The
British High Commission however, insisted that there was no back door
influence from any of the three powers to have Mr. Jobe included in the ban.

The British High Commission statement emphasized that the UK Government
"will of course enforce the Resolution as it does all similar instruments
and would expect fellow UN member states to do the same".

When contacted the Deputy Chief of Mission of the United States Embassy in
Banjul Brian Browne noted "I have read the text of the letter Secretary of
State Jobe wrote to the president of the Security Council. Due to the fact
that the issue of Baba Jobe's inclusion in the travel ban has been raised in
such a manner, and that the letter begs a UN response, it would be
inappropriate to comment on the many issues raised in the letter. The
resolution was a UN action and now that the letter is before the UN, it is
most proper to let that process take its course.

"I also note the articles that have been written including the one in this
very paper, reporting that the US has been blamed for Baba Jobe's inclusion
in the travel ban. Your paper is entitled, as is every individual, to its
opinions as to what was intended by the letter's references to the US.
However, as a diplomat it would be inappropriate to speculate in a public
forum as to what was or was not intended by these references. Thus, I will
not engage in the idle speculation as to the writer's intent. One thing that
I can tell you for certain is that, as of the date of that letter, Secretary
of State Jobe had never met nor consulted with the Ambassador, myself, nor
any member of our diplomatic staff on this issue.

"Notwithstanding the news articles, it seems that attention has shifted away
from the issue of utmost importance. The resolution represents the work and
collective will of the United Nations and the international community to put
an end to the fighting and violence in Sierra Leone. As such, the resolution
not only has a noble purpose, it carries the weight of law. We should all be
mindful of the hundreds of thousands of innocent people whose lives have
been hijacked due to the unrest. To help bring peace, the rule of law and
development to these battered people, my country will do its utmost to
implement the resolution and to honour its spirit. Any individuals and any
nations who aspire to be responsible members of the international community
should seek to implement to the best of their ability this and all other
resolutions pertaining to Sierra Leone."

Attempts to get a reaction from the French Consul were unsuccessful.


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