The members of the U.N. Security Council will depart New York City on Friday for an official mission to West Africa, where the 15 ambassadors will visit Liberia, Cote d'Ivoire, and Sierra Leone, a spokesperson announced Thursday at U.N. headquarters. In Liberia, the ambassadors will review progress in the implementation of the mandate of the U.N. Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), in addition to meeting President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. From Liberia, they will continue to Cote d'Ivoire, where they will meet President Alassane Ouattara and representatives of the country's National Assembly. They also will travel to Guiglo in the west of the country where they will be briefed on security and humanitarian issues. From there, the council members will return to Liberia, to the city of Zwedru, where they will meet Ivorian refugees. The delegation will return to Abidjan in Cote d'Ivoire, where the council members are scheduled to meet with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to discuss regional issues. Finally, the delegation then will visit Sierra Leone, meeting President Ernest Bai Koroma and holding a meeting with all political parties. The ambassadors will return to New York on May 24.
