Nearly a year after the National Transitional Government of Liberia (NTGL) was inaugurated last October, the country's interim leader Gyude Bryant is scheduled to arrive in the United States for a weeklong visit to New York and Washington, DC. On Tuesday, he will address both the United Nations General Assembly and a forum on private sector involvement in Liberia's recovery and development, organized by the Leon H. Sullivan Foundation. In New York, he will meet UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and senior Bush administration officials and then travel to Washington for discussions at the World Bank and with both State and Defense Department policymakers, as well as a dinner with corporate leaders.
According to Charles A. Minor, Liberia's ambassador to Washington, the private sector has a critical role to play in his country's post-war reconstruction. Minor, who became ambassador to the United States in June and presented his credentials to President Bush on July 15, studied economics and industrial relations at Michigan State University before returning to Liberia to teach at the university. He later entered the business world, taking a high-profile position with the Liberian Produce Marketing Corporation before becoming a consultant for Arthur D. Little. In 1993, he joined an Amsterdam-based agency, African Management Services Co., which is responsible for training African managers. Minor spoke with AllAfrica's Reed Kramer and Maria Nghidinwa about the aftermath of the war in Liberia, the country's difficult transition to peace, government plans for development and job creation, and the current status of U.S.-Liberia relations.
How would you assess the peace process and reconstruction at this time?
This is the first time in a very long time that we have had a full year of relative peace. It is something to be grateful for, but the question is, where do we go from this point? There's a lot of work that still needs to be done. The consolidation of peace requires more than stopping people from fighting. You've got to give people an alternative to looking for their livelihood by way of being hostile to their neighbors and using their arms to extort from people. The most important concern now is how to reintegrate ex-combatants into civil society and provide them a livelihood so that they can feel part-and-parcel of society. Related to that is the need to get people to understand that the country belongs to all Liberians and that we should make contributions to ensure that generations to come have a safe country to live in and that we do not pursue a leadership simply for what we get out of it.
Our government is not yet a unified government where every nose is heading in the same direction. We need to make sure that people are sufficiently committed to the country and not to themselves, or to their factions, or to the various groups, so that we can really rebuild the country, rebuild the infastructure, give people new vision, a new direction, something to live for.
You say that the government is not unified, but do you think it is moving in the right direction?
If you look at how the government was created, you will appreciate that it has been difficult. But it has been relatively successful. The government has been kept together and [is] still committed and dedicated to the Accra peace accord. The government consisted of the various factions that were involved in the crisis, together with the civil society, so there were four different groups. Even if you look at the civil society group that consisted of political parties, religious groups, etc., you had all shades and complexions of ideas - people with completely different ideas of what the government should be like and how they should lead it.
That's the nature of the animal. The [government] is trying to work and to move and to get things done and it has been difficult, but I think pursuing the objective, diligently, with some difficulties, and I think we would give the credit to the Chairman (Gyude Bryant) and others who have made concerted effort to ensure that it is kept together.
What about the refugees who were forced to flee their homes during the fighting? Many Liberians are here in the United States. Are they going home?
There is a strong sense that Liberians desire to [return], and many of them are returning from the United States, in particular. Many would prefer being home than to be abroad. Some Liberians in this part of the world are moving closer to Liberia, perhaps to Ghana and other neighboring countries, before finally resettling in the country. I know there are many Liberians from around West Africa that are making their way into Liberia. A few of them have been stranded in Guinea and other places, trying to get back home.
However, accommodation is limited, transportation is extremely scarce and limited. Health care and cost of living are high. So the question is: `Can Liberia absorb all of the people back?' I think that over time, yes. But initially, it will be cumbersome.
There are so few jobs for people returning to the country. How do you intend to create an economy that can absorb and employ people?
I have spent quite a number of my productive years in Liberia, particularly in the area of agricultural development. I think that if we were to ensure that there is peace throughout the country, one of the first areas to [focus on] is agriculture: to get people back on their farms, to get people back to producing their cash crops. That will attract people back home to their villages, their farms, and get things started. Transportation will be needed to get people to move their goods from farm to markets. We need to expand tools [and] supplies for farms.
Construction is also key. You have to rebuild clinics, schools, private homes, public buildings, et cetera. There are a number of Liberians who are willing to go back and restart their businesses, or to start new ventures. Thank god, there are donors who are now willing to provide some funding: the United States and the European Union have made funds available to train ex-combatants and get them started on various kinds of work.
One particular project has a total of 36 million dollars to immediately put people to work by providing them initially some training and then jobs. We've been promoting a project to see if they can start some work along the railroad: get it cleaned up and see if some of the places can be opened for the railroad to start moving between Buchanan and Yekepa. So there are lots of things that can be done, but my preference is to give priority to the agricultural sector.
Liberia had a successful donor's conference after your government was formed. Has the promised aid begun to flow into Liberia?
I am not quite pleased with the flow. Substantial amounts of the funds promised have not been delivered. I think one of the reasons is that the mechanism to ensure fast delivery and fast utilization is not yet established. I do hope that the mechanisms will be sufficiently transparent to ensure that donors are sufficiently satisfied to make their funds available without additional delay.
The other problem is the perception in Liberia that funds would be available for anything. But donors decide on how their funds are to be used. Lots of it is going to ensuring the peace, that is supporting UNMIL [the United Nations peacekeeping operation]. Some of it is going to retrain a security force for Liberia. A new police force has been put in place. Donor funds are being used for that. Much of the money is also being used to assist in providing food to refugees who do not have the means to provide food for themselves. We hope that in the months ahead, we will see more - half a billion dollars or so - being dispersed for use in the country.
What impact is HIV/Aids having in Liberia?
My understanding is that we are beginning to experience an increased incidence of HIV/Aids. We have invited our friends from around the world to help us establish peace, but we haven't given any of them a test to [see] whether they are coming free of HIV/Aids and that by itself suggests that our people will be exposed to it. Many of our people have traveled to places where HIV/Aids are widespread and some of them have been returning with that.
The other thing is that the level of health care is so low and [it is not] a possibility to keep people alive for a long time with Aids when you do not have the basic necessities to treat patients. There is a lot of fear that a lot of our people could die from HIV/Aids without the appropriate care. I trust that very shortly people will begin to do more studies to determine the extent of which the population has been infected with Aids.
The fight against Aids, the agriculture development, and all the priorities you mentioned, requires the government to function, provide basic services and information, and to be able to mobilize popular support and engagement. To what extent is that happening at this point in Liberia?
It is happening to some extent, but when you have priorities like disarmament and ensuring that people are now able to move about freely and return to the village, I think that [limits the government's options]. This is just the end of the first year and this is a two-year government. Hopefully, we will begin to address some of the other issues to really mobilize the population. Some people are still a little skeptical about those people who were actually involved in the war. We are hoping that we will begin to address some of the other issues that have not been addressed so far, such as truth and reconciliation, real justice to those who think that more justice should be given to them, and, hopefully, get [people] more involved in the productive activities in the economy.
What role are women playing in peacemaking, in development, and in the government itself?
The picture that comes to mind is that of the Liberian women from the refugee camp in Accra parading before the hotel during the peace talks last year, demanding that they [the warring factions] come to an agreement. I remember that vividly and congratulate our women. I think Liberian women have demonstrated, time and again, the commitment to peace in our country. Recently, there was a news article that I read, where some fighters were just coming through [an area], bombing territories. Women got out there and said, `We're tired with this war. Get out of here!' They are prepared to put themselves wherever they have to put themselves to ensure that we can have peace.
In addition, we have seen the women are the ones who are the first to go out to sell their wares, to sell food and to get the economy started again. Women have been active in the political process, as well. My sense is that more of our women in our country will get more involved. I think it's a good thing. The more of them that can be actively involved, the better it will be.
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Because the interim government is composed largely of ex-combatants, has this left women largely out of the transitional government?
You are right. I think there are about four women ministers and [a number] in the transitional legislative. We'd like to see more.
You are the first Liberian ambassador accredited to Washington in a long time. Where do you see the U.S./Liberian relationship today?
I'm grateful that I have come at a time when the situation changed. The United States has indicated that in its own fight to ensure peace around the world and to fight terrorism, you cannot leave any part of the world out. West Africa has been reported as a place where people who pursue terror acts have gone. It is important to ensure that our country, that in the past has been identified as supportive of using resources of the region to perpetuate terror, [made it] stop. I think that the United States has realized that that was important and got involved at a stage when it did get involved. And that led to the peace effort, so I came at a time when this government is committed and is dedicated to ensuring that Liberia does not allow itself to be used as a haven for people who will continue to terrorize countries around the world.
Because Liberia has been known as the eye of the storm in West Africa, it is important to have peace established in the whole region. Liberia has provided every effort to ensure that peace is established. This country has taken the lead in getting the rest of the world committed to ensuring that Liberia turns the page and moves into a period of peace and reconstruction. I had the occasion of meeting the President and he has committed himself to remaining friendly with us and ensuring that we are able to redevelop our country, bring about a new government that is democratic, and that will serve all of our people. It is a pleasure to be able to promote this idea in this country at this time.
Liberians have been disappointed with the U.S. failure to take a more active role with peacemaking, dating back to the early 90s, through the 90s, and certainly last year. Do you think that history can be overcome in rebuilding ties between the two countries?
I think that it has been overcome to a major extent. Everywhere I go, all of those I meet feel committed and dedicated, and feel that it was wrong to back off. It is time to be engaged and that is why this country is today engaging. They are helping to restart the civil defense and police. They are making sure that the international community remains committed. I think that is critical. One has to admit that this country has a lot on its own plate, but we certainly believe, given our historical relations, they shouldn't leave aside a good and long-standing ally and friend.
