LIBERIA: GOVERNMENT REVOKES DIPLOMATIC APPOINTMENTS

UNCLAS MONROVIA 000961

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR AF/W PDAVIS, AOKEDIJI, INR/AA BGRAVES

E.O.12958: N/A

TAGS: PGOV CVIS PREL PTER LI

SUBJECT: LIBERIA: GOVERNMENT REVOKES DIPLOMATIC APPOINTMENTS

REF: A. 06 MONROVIA 1542

B. 06 LAGOS 0012

1.(U) SUMMARY: The Government of Liberia has revoked the appointment
of all Honorary Consul-Generals, Consuls, Vice Consuls and
Ambassadors-at-Large. A Foreign Ministry statement issued on July
31 said that the action is intended to end the misuse of their
appointments and curtail the illegal activities being perpetrated by
some of the appointees. The decision, according to the Foreign
Ministry statement, takes effect as of August 8, 2007. The Foreign
Ministry said that after a thorough investigation, appropriate
safeguards will be instituted and new appointments made. END
SUMMARY.

2.(U) The decision does not affect Honorary-Consuls serving in
consulates in Athens, Buenos Aires, Oslo, Victoria/Melbourne,
Stegen, Tampa and Madrid. The Foreign Ministry statement said that
the above mentioned Honorary-Consuls are performing prime maritime
functions or have special assignments. The Foreign Ministry said
that it regrets any inconvenience to those affected by the decision,
who have rendered professional and honest service to Liberia.
Liberia's Permanent Mission to the United Nations has informed all
permanent Missions to the United Nations of the decision and
requests that all exequaturs issued to affected Liberian honorary
consuls in their respective jurisdictions be canceled, except for
those officials identified in the circular who are performing
maritime functions or special assignments.

3.(SBU) The Foreign Ministry statement said that the decision is an
effort to protect the good name and reputation of the Government of
Liberia. The acting Assistant Minister for the Americas at the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Moiba Fofana, told the Political
Assistant that numerous reports from European, Asian and Middle
Eastern governments about criminal activities such as money
laundering, drug smuggling and illegal sale of Liberian passports by
individuals carrying diplomatic Liberian passports posing as
honorary consuls, precipitated the GOL decision. He said the
situation embarrassed the Government of Liberia. Both the former
director of the Passport office, Yvonne Stewart Barr and the current
Director, Mary Broh, have told the Embassy that one of their most
serious challenges has been getting control of the illegal issuance
of Liberian passports. They have complained that corruption of the
passport system "goes all the way to the top at the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs" and that this reality jeopardized their efforts to
impose integrity on the issuance of passports. As previously
reported (REF A) issuance of Liberian passports by overseas missions
has been a recurring problem.

4.(SBU) COMMENT: It is only a small step, albeit a significant one,
in restoring integrity to Liberia's diplomatic service and the
passport system. In addition, the GOL has had under consideration
for at least 2 years the issuance of a new passport to replace the
current hand written passports that are insecure. When the current
government took office, it reviewed examples of modern machine
readable passports. Plans to procure replacement passports have
gotten hung up in legal wrangling with a company that claims it has
a valid contract from the interim government (NTGL). Passport
Director Barr sees no early resolution and would like to issue
"ECOWAS passports". These passports are like European Union
passports in that they are issued by each competent national
authority and state both ECOWAS and the country of nationality.
Unfortunately we have been told by the Department (CA) that we can
not issue U.S. visas in these Liberian ECOWAS passports.END
COMMENT.

BOOTH