allAfrica.com: Liberia: Pres. Johnson-Sirleaf Arrives Back Home (Page 1 of 1)

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf says Government will continue to provide the necessary support to the police and other law enforcement agencies in the country to combat the increasing wave of armed robbery.

The President lauded the Ministry of Justice, the Liberian National Police (LNP) and the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) for working collaboratively to bring the situation under control. The Liberian leader observed a gradual decrease in the level of armed robbery and attributed the decrease to the measures government has adopted.

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf arrived home Monday evening to a rousing welcome, following a visit abroad which took her to Denmark and the United States.

Photo: Abbas Dulleh

The measures, the Liberian leader noted, will continue by providing all the support needed to enable the security forces to protect the citizens.

At an airport press briefing shortly upon arrival from the United States, the President disclosed that Liberia stands to benefit from a new global food aid package, announced last week by United States President George Bush, to assist countries affected by the global increases in food price.

The President expressed optimism that, based on informal discussions with U.S. government officials, Liberia stands to benefit from the food assistance package. President Bush last week asked Congress to approve US $770 million in new global food aid for the coming fiscal year, as the administration's response to the global food crisis. Details, the President said, are still being worked out to ensure that Liberia benefits from the package.

According to an Executive Mansion release, the President has also been holding discussions with institutions including Firestone, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank (WB) to respond to the food needs of countries which are experiencing looming food crises.

Meanwhile, the President is holding a series of meetings with a number of stakeholders, including rice importers, the National Investment Commission (NIC), the Ministry of Agriculture, political parties and other concerned groups to discuss the growing food crisis with the aim of advancing possible solutions to addressing the problem.

The real solution to the food crisis, the President reiterated, lies in the ability of Liberians to grow more food, particularly rice. Government, she said, is doing all it can to find the right responses to the food situation. "In the short term it will be bilateral support; in the medium term to long term, we just have to grow it to meet some of our national needs," the President emphasized.

In a related development, the Chairman of the ad-hoc Price Commission, Dr. Togba Nah Tipoteh, has presented to President Johnson Sirleaf an interim draft report of the Commission's findings.

The report, which, among other issues, focuses on the increased prices of commodities on the market, was presented Tuesday to the President at her Foreign Ministry Office. The 52-page interim report, Dr. Tipoteh said, includes recommendations covering immediate, short-term and medium-term recommendations to address pricing and other commodity issues.

The President thanked Dr. Tipoteh and his team for the draft report and said she looked forward to meeting members of the Commission to discuss details of a final report expected to be submitted at the end of June. The draft report, the Liberian leader said, will be a useful instrument during discussions with stakeholders on the looming food crisis.

President Johnson Sirleaf arrived Monday to an enthusiastic welcome by supporters, well-wishers, Government officials and party leaders at the Roberts International Airport (RIA) in Monrovia.

The President said she was happy to be back home. She pointed out that her week-long routine medical tests were successful, dismissing rumors that she was ill. In an apparent response to the rumor mongers, the President said, "I will see them under before I go;" a response drawing loud applause from the crowd.

The President expressed concern about the negative impact such rumors generated oversees, and cautioned the media to be more responsible in exercising its freedom. "You need to be a little more careful with those things that will undermine and cause a little more problem for the country; It doesn't hurt me personally; it hurts your country, it hurts your people," the President observed.

The President has been out of the country for a little over three weeks, holding informal meetings with U.S Government officials, as well as Executives of the IMF and World Bank. During the visit, President Sirleaf also traveled to Denmark and held discussions with Danish Government officials including the country's Prime Minister.

Denmark has agreed to provide US $22-million dollars to Liberia to support the country's Women Empowerment programs, as part of the country's Millennium Development Goal (MDG). Denmark, has accordingly choosing Liberia as a model country for MDG-3. During the President's visit, the Danish Government also announced the cancellation of Liberia's bilateral debt totaling more than US $30-million dollars

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