Liberia: EU Tough-Talk Liberia Diplomacy Trumps America's - Thank You, EU

THE EUROPEAN UNION Ambassador to Liberia, Tiina Intelmann did not mince words in a stinging letter to Liberian President late last week, regarding the President's decision to sign an Executive Order to halve Liberia's Inshore Exclusion Zone (IEZ), currently reserved for artisanal fishermen, reducing it from six nautical miles to just three, allowing industrial vessels, including trawlers, to fish much closer to the shore.

AMBASSADOR INTELMANN, in the communication obtained by FrontPageAfrica remarked that the EU was surprise to learn about this Executive Order from the press as the SFPA agreement clearly states that "Art 3.5 - The Parties shall cooperate with a view to implement a sectoral fisheries policy adopted by the Government of Liberia and to that end shall initiate a policy dialogue on the necessary reforms. "The European Union has serious concerns about the implications of the EO 84. Based on experience in other countries in other countries and beyond we have reason to believe that some of the measures introduced under Section 2 of the EO will not lead to sustainable investments, but rather to the accelerated depletion of current fish stocks resulting in reduced economic opportunities in the sector and increased food security."

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