Gambia Gov't Takes UN To Task

Following recent reports of travel ban by the United Nations Security
Council resolution 1343 (2001) affecting Baba Jobe, assistant secretary,
Office of the President, the Gambian Government in a strongly worded letter
to the United Nations Security Council Sanctions Committee protested the
recommendations of the sanctions committee with regards to The Gambia and in
particular Mr Baba Jobe.

Below we reproduce the full text of the letter of protest signed by the SoS
foreign affairs, Dr Sedat Jobe. Following the release of the report of the
Security Council Panel of Experts on Sierra Leone Diamonds and Arms, the
Government of The Gambia, through its permanent representatives in New York,
addressed a letter referenced GPM/UN/GEN 39 NA/(BIJ-VYA) of the 23 January
2001 to you inviting the Panel of Experts to visit The Gambia before the
Security Council considered the report. I am therefore surprised that
despite the fact that no reaction to my government's request was forthcoming
from you and without any pre-information or request for clarification from
The Gambia, when the subject of sanctions on Liberia was being discussed, a
Gambian national Mr Baba Jobe has been included in the list of Liberian
nationals affected by the Security Council travel ban.

I am even more amazed by the fact that the mention of Mr Jobe's name on the
list was accompanied neither by an indication of his passport number nor his
date of birth, as is the case with the other persons affected by the
sanction. Following informal enquiries with the Sanctions Committee, my
representative at the United Nations was informed that the inclusion of Mr
Baba Jobe's name on the list, was as a result of a request from the French,
British and United States governments. Consequently, a formal request was
sent to you, demanding for the details surrounding such a serious allegation
which the government of The Gambia cannot definitely treat lightly, if it is
corroborated with evidence.

Mr President, having waited for almost four weeks for your response, we have
taken it upon ourselves to inform the Gambian public that we believe that
the decision to include a Gambian on the list was a well calculated move and
is prejudicial to my country, which despite its size has been playing a
major role in the quest for peace and stability in the West African
sub-region and beyond. Furthermore, my department state has decided to
inform the international community about the very undemocratic, illegal and
non-transparent manner in which the security council handled this matter.
The Government of The Gambia is aggrieved by the fact that a decision of
such magnitude has been taken without any research and consultations with
the country affected.

It must be noted that situations like this one, will sooner rather than
later undermine the moral authority of the Sanctions Committee. When I
consulted with the British, French and American Missions in The Gambia, they
did not seem to know about the origin of the inclusion of The Gambian
national. This can hardly be an illustration of the high standard of justice
and equity that is expected of the committee in passing judgement on Member
States and their citizens. It is my belief that the inclusion of The Gambian
national in the list is an error which is of great prejudice to the
individual and the prestige of The Gambia as a country.

Mr President, let me draw your attention to the fact that The Gambia as a
signatory to the Ecowas 'Moratorium on the Import, Export and Production of
Small Arms and Light Weapons', signed in 1998, is the only State that has
not so far requested for a waiver of the Moratorium in order to import or
exports arms. The Gambian President Alhaji Dr Yahya AJJ Jammeh has even gone
beyond that and informed Member States to the agreement very clearly that if
they continue to request for waivers, there will be no raison d'etre for the
Moratorium.

Against this background therefore, describing a Gambian Official as an arms
trafficker is not only a very serious matter but a case that has to be
followed up, so that The Gambian public can have all the details necessary
for a better understanding of the matter. It is our belief that this
accusation is unfounded, because if it was true the matter would have been
treated more professionally and we would have received a detailed
communication from the Committee prior to the publication of the list.

If the foregoing is confirmed the sanctions committee must convince the
whole world that it is fair and respectable and has the courage of
recognising its mistakes when they do occur, especially when they tarnish
the international reputation of a member state of the United Nations who
gave invaluable service to the Security Council during the two years that it
served as one of its Non-Permanent Members.While awaiting your reactions, I
beg you to accept the assurances of my highest consideration and the sincere
will of the government and people of The Gambia to assist the Security
Council in its endeavour to create a world of peace, justice and equity.




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