Text Only
Search

 
UN Resolution Prepared on Taylor Transfer to Hague

01 April 2006

Charles Taylor, center wearing bullet-proof vest, seen after he arrived at Freetown, Sierra Leone, March 29, 2006
Charles Taylor, center wearing bullet-proof vest, seen after he arrived at Freetown, Sierra Leone, March 29, 2006
Britain has circulated a draft resolution at the U.N. Security Council that authorizes the transfer of former Liberian President Charles Taylor to the Netherlands following his arrest on war crimes charges.

The document says that Taylor's continued presence in West Africa is an impediment to stability and a threat to the peace of Liberia and the region.

The resolution is in response to a request by the U.N.-backed Special Court in Sierra Leone for the Netherlands to host Taylor's trial. It says it is concerned that holding the trial in Sierra Leone would cause unrest both there and in Liberia.

The court has indicted Taylor on 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, stemming from his role in Sierra Leone's brutal civil war. He is due to make his first court appearance on Monday.

Taylor was captured and delivered to the court on Wednesday after Nigeria, which gave him asylum in 2003, gave approval for his arrest.

The court in Sierra Leone emphasized that it would retain control of the trial but that it hoped to use facilities of the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

Separately, the U.N. Security Council Friday unanimously extended the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Liberia through the end of September.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.

emailme.gif E-mail This Article
printerfriendly.gif Print Version

  Related Stories
Ex-Liberian President May Face War Crimes Soon
Charles Taylor to Make First Court Appearance Monday
 
  Top Story
Obama, World Leaders Honor Veterans

  More Stories
Pirates Seize Cargo Ship in Indian Ocean
French, German Leaders Commemorate Armistice Day  Audio Clip Available
Body of Missing US Soldier Found in Afghanistan
APEC Foreign Ministers Discourage Protectionism  Audio Clip Available
Clinton Urges Asian Pressure on Burma for Free Elections  Audio Clip Available
Clinton: Naval Clash Won't Stop Outreach to North Korea  Audio Clip Available
South Korean Military on High Alert After Naval Clash
UN Prosecutors Seek to Limit Taylor's Contact With Lawyers During Cross Examination  Audio Clip Available
Abbas Renews Call for Settlement Halt
Japan to Tell Obama It Wants Okinawa Marine Base Closed  Audio Clip Available
Egyptian Activist Nour Presses For More Rights in Political Process  Audio Clip Available
Australian PM Flies to India to Soothe Diplomatic Tensions
Cambodia Rejects Thai Request to Extradite Former Leader  Audio Clip Available
World War II Museum Expansion Aims at Younger Generations  Audio Clip Available  Video clip available