Foreign Affairs Secretary Blas F. Ople today announced that Philippine authorities have safely evacuated eight Filipinos from Liberia, as fighting continued in that country.  The Secretary also said that the Philippines believes that it is time for the United Nations to send peacekeepers to Liberia and that he supports that call made by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan for the US to lead a UN-peacekeeping force to Liberia.

“I would like to commend Ambassador Masaranga Umpa, our Ambassador in Nigeria and who has oversight responsibilities for our interests in Liberia, and his Vice-Consul, Edward Yulo, for their prompt action that has resulted in the safe evacuation of our people there,” Secretary Ople said.

The Filipino evacuees from Liberia were flown to Abidjan, Cote d’Ivore and were accompanied by Vice-Consul Yulo.  The evacuees are currently in a hotel in Abijian and will be flown to Accra, Ghana, to join other Filipinos who were evacuated earlier.

“All the Filipinos who have been evacuated, starting with the ones who left Liberia on 27 June 2003, up to the eight we recently evacuated, are in good health and our consular officials are looking after their needs,” the Secretary said.  “We are also in constant touch with their families in the Philippines,” he added.

“We have been watching the developments in Liberia closely and I believe that it is time for the UN to take more direct action to ensure the stability of the country and the safety of all people there.  I therefore support the call of
U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, several West African countries, and Britain and France for the United States to take the lead in a peacekeeping operation in Liberia, which was established by freed American slaves in 1822,” the Secretary said. END.