[allAfrica.com] [BBC_News] Lawmaker Foresees Regional War - If Liberia is Dragged to War Crimes Court The NEWS (Monrovia) NEWS May 6, 2003 Posted to the web May 6, 2003 By Stanley Mcgill Monrovia The Chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs has threatened that any attempt to drag Liberia to the United Nations Special War Crimes Tribunal in Sierra Leone would result to a "Full Scale Regional War." Senator Thomas Nah Nimely, a Majority member of the ruling National Patriotic Party (NPP)-dominated Parliament made these assertions at a news conference in Monrovia yesterday. Nimely said his statement was predicated upon recent pronouncements by the Head of the Special Court, Dr. Alan White. Dr. White told the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) that President Charles Taylor has been asked to produce two Sierra Leonean fugitives Johnny Paul Kroma and Sam Bockarie before the Special Court. He alleged that the Court has credible information that the two men were in Liberia, but did not state clearly whether it was the Government that was harboring them. Dr. White was quoted as saying that failure on the part of President Taylor to produce the two men, he (Taylor) could be arrested for obstructing the justice system of the Court. At the news conference, however, Senator Nimely stressed that any attempt by the Court to arrest President Taylor would prove counter-productive. Although he did not state a date and time, the Lawmaker claimed that he has information that former Interim President Amos Sawyer and opposition politician Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf have been in Freetown with the sole intent of lobbying to drag the Liberian Government to the Court to face trial. The Lawmaker, who revealed that he has had "sufficient briefing" before the news conference, propounded that the best way to avert such "...regional conflict"was for ECOWAS and its Regional and International partners to liaise with the Government to resolve the situation. He said it was unfortunate for the international community to conclude that Sam Bockarie and Johnny Paul Kroma are in Liberia, when he(Nimely) recently saw on Ivorian TV3 Sam Bockarie in a full military gear, moving flamboyantly with more than 50 bodyguards in the Ivory Coast. He claimed to have seen this television clipping while in Accra, Ghana. On whether as a Chairman on Foreign Relations at the Senate he could liaise with the appropriate authority to demand evidence from the Special Court, he said its needless to ask for evidence, because, according to him the international community has not been able to produce one evidence to substantiate the claims that Liberia was engaged in gun running, diamond smuggling and supporting regional conflicts. On the local scene, Senator Nimely asked the international community to speed up the peace process, and observed that some individuals within the UN system use delay tactics in conflict resolution for their personal interest. He disclosed that military situation in the Southeast of the Country was increasingly deteriorating. Senator Nimely maintained that the process of negotiation should not go beyond 60 days as the Legislature would support the initiative. He however stated that as a Lawmaker, he would not accept any arrangements outside the Constitution, but did not state what would happen if the Government's tenure expires by October 14, 2003.   =============================================================================   Copyright © 2003 The NEWS. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). =============================================================================