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“THE INDICTMENT OF CHARLES TAYLOR” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the Senate section on pages S7826-S7827 on June 12, 2003.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
THE INDICTMENT OF CHARLES TAYLOR
Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I see that the senior Senator from New Hampshire, Mr. Gregg, is on the floor. Knowing of his longstanding interest in Sierra Leone, I wonder if he wants to speak briefly about the indictment last week of Charles Taylor by the Special Court for Sierra Leone.
Mr. GREGG. I thank the Senator from Vermont. He is correct about my longstanding interest in Sierra Leone. With respect to the Special Court, I am well aware of the events of the past week, where the Prosecutor of the Court, David Crane, unsealed an indictment for Charles Taylor, while Mr. Taylor was in Ghana.
Unfortunately, the international community did not act in time and Mr. Taylor was able to escape to Liberia. In doing so, the world missed a great opportunity to bring to justice one of the world's most notorious war criminals and advance the cause of international justice.
Mr. LEAHY. I agree with the Senator from New Hampshire. I spoke about this subject last week. Since then, it has come to my attention that some officials in the State Department and other governments are upset at Mr. Crane for the timing of this indictment, as they saw it as disruptive to the peace talks in West Africa.
While I can appreciate those concerns, I agree with one of Mr. Crane's statements on this issue, which I will read:
[T]he timing of this announcement was carefully considered in light of the important peace process begun this week. To ensure the legitimacy of these negotiations, it is imperative that the attendees know they are dealing with an indicted war criminal. These negotiations can still move forward, but they must do so without the involvement of this indictee. The evidence upon which this indictment was approved raises serious questions about Taylor's suitability to be a guarantor of any deal, let alone a peace agreement.
I was wondering if Senator Gregg had any thoughts on this issue.
Mr. GREGG. I agree with Mr. Crane's statement about the indictment of Charles Taylor. As much as anyone, I want to bring peace and prosperity to West Africa. But, Mr. Crane has a mandate to bring to justice those most responsible for the atrocities committed in Sierra Leone, and the trail led to Charles Taylor. Not indicting Mr. Taylor would have been outrageous. Justice would not have been served.
I also want to read from a Washington Post editorial, dated June 5, 2003, that summarizes the issue. It said, and I am quoting:
After years of afflicting his own country with the worst kind of brutality and aiding and abetting a cruel civil war in neighboring Sierra Leone, Mr. Taylor is now being pressed on his own soil by rebel movements bent on driving him from power. That he was out of the country this week was no accident. The purpose of his trip to Ghana, organized by the Economic Community of West Africa and a United Nations contact group that includes the United States, was to join peace talks with Liberian opposition groups. Military and political weaknesses, not strength, drove him from his haven in Liberia to the Ghana peace parley. Fear of international justice is what has sent him scurrying back home. . . ..The idea of Mr. Taylor working out an eleventh-hour agreement that restores peace and stability to Liberia strikes many human rights observers as ludicrous given both his record of broken pledges and his overwhelming contribution to that country's misery. Faced with tightening international opposition, he now says he will consider stepping aside if that will bring peace. He's now even making noises about supporting a transitional government of national unity while remaining on the sidelines. Mr. Taylor, as usual, has it all wrong. He is in no position to guarantee any deal, let alone a peace agreement, as Mr. Crane said yesterday. Indicted as a war criminal, Charles Taylor today is nothing more than a wanted man.
In short, I agree with the Post's editorial and commend Mr. Crane for taking decisive action to indict Charles Taylor.
Mr. LEAHY. I share Senator Gregg's sentiments. I would also point out that Mr. Crane's office unsealed the indictment in a responsible way. According to information I received, the Special Court's chief of security was instructed to inform all organizations with personnel in Liberia, including the U.S. Embassy, Freetown, that ``within 24 hours the Special Court was going to take an action that could possibly destabilize Monrovia.'' These actions were undertaken to ensure that all government and humanitarian personnel had notice to withdraw or stay home.
This effectively ``unsealed'' the indictment to governments and humanitarian organizations without tipping Mr. Taylor off. In addition, 3 hours before the press conference and public announcement, and minutes after the Court had confirmation that Ghanaian authorities were served with the arrest warrant for Mr. Taylor, private letters were hand-delivered to all representatives of a number of key governments in Freetown.
Mr. GREGG. Does the Senator share my view that the United States and other members of the international community should continue to strongly support the Special Court and vigorously pursue Mr. Taylor and other indicted war criminals?
Mr. LEAHY. Yes. In fact, I am going to work with Senator McConnell, with the goal of providing $2 million in the fiscal year 2004 foreign operations bill for additional support to the Court.
Mr. GREGG. I support the efforts of the Senator from Vermont and thank him for discussing this issue with me.
Mr. LEAHY. I thank the Senator from New Hampshire. In closing, I would just add that there have been recent reports of a possible
``deal'' with Mr. Taylor under which he would go into exile in exchange for immunity from the Court. While I want to see an end to the fighting in West Africa, which has claimed many innocent lives, an immunity deal with Mr. Taylor would be a grave mistake. It will undermine peace and reconciliation efforts in the region. It will let a major war criminal escape justice. It would be unacceptable.
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