The Force Commander of UNMIL, Major General Leonard Ngondi recently paid a courtesy visit on the Minister of National Defense, Brownie J. Samukai Jr., at his Barclay Training Center (BTC) office on the UN Drive. During the visit, General Ngondi and delegation held discussions with the Honorable Minister and team, which centers on continuous cooperation between the Ministry of National Defense, the Armed Forces of Liberia, United Nations Mission in Liberia and its personnel and their mission.

The meeting further viewed the current security situations at the Liberian-Ivorian borders. Additionally, the discussions focused on the existing bilateral cooperation between Liberia and Kenya, particularly how some personnel of the Armed Forces of Liberia could explore the opportunity of receiving basic military training from some institutions in Kenya.

Earlier, Minister Samukai welcomed the Force Commander and his delegation and praised UNMIL for its commitment to peace and security in Liberia over the years. The Honorable Minister of Defense further said Liberians have enjoyed nearly ten years of relative peace because of the UN involvement through UNMIL.

The Minister reiterated a key foreign policy statement by the Commander -in-chief that "Liberia will not allow an inch of its territory to be used against its neighbor for any subversive activity".

For his part, the UNMIL's Force Commander, Major General Leonard Ngondi lauded the authority at the Ministry of National Defense for the level of achievements in building a security sector over a relative short period following fourteen years of civil strife.

Gen. Ngondi pledged UNMIL's unflinching support to the security sector of Liberia, adding, "UNMIL will support Liberia in whatever way that falls within its mandate".

General Ngondi expressed the need for continuous cooperation between Liberia and Ivory Coast as a surer measure of ensuring security along the fringes of both countries.