Liberian Embassy in the Ivory Coast Reacts

The Perspective
June 19, 2001

Editor's Note: On April 24, 2001, the Perspective published an article written by J. Amos Wheagar, a correspondent to the magazine based in Abidjan. Wheagar's article revealed, among other things, that the official diplomatic residence of the Liberian Ambassador in the Ivory Coast has been converted into the personal property and private use by President Charles Taylor and his family. Wheagar's investigation also found that a French-Lebanese national, Mr. Mohamed Salami (whose name is on the UN list of Liberian officials affected the the travel ban), has been contracted to carryout renovation on this building, as an exchange for over US $1 million he owes in forestry tax to the Liberian government, as a result of his involvement in the logging and diamond business. His investigation as reported in the article, also discovered that the Liberian Ambassador accredited to the Ivory Coast, Honorable Kronyan M. Weefur, was being lodged in a rented house at the cost of US$2,500.00 per month while employees at the Embassy had not been paid for close to a year.

The Embassy's reaction signed by a certain Mr. S. Clarence Gono, Jr., rather than address the issues reported in the piece, opted to launch a personal attack on the character and reputation of Mr. Wheagar. Not sure as to whether the reaction which was sent via hotmail e-mail account represented the official position of the Embassy, or was simply Mr. Gono's personal response to the article. As a matter of editorial policy, this magazine requested that the Embassy submit its position on an official letterhead, which they did after a week. The reaction, rife with personal invectives (most of which was omitted), errors, and sloppily structured, offers no real disagreements or a rebuttal of the facts as reported by our correspondent.

Meanwhile, our correspondent has also informed us that since the publication of the article, he has received several verbal and physical threats to his life. This magazine is therefore taking the unusual but important step of informing the Ivorian authorities and requesting the protection of Mr. Wheagar.

We publish the Embassy's reaction below:

It was with appalling sentiments of surprise that I read an article "TAYLOR SEIZES ABIDJAN AMBASSADOR,S RESIDENCE?" published April 26, 2001 on the Internet specifically on the Africa Policy and Information Center site. Was this article written to inform the world reading public or a mere way of looking for an undeserved reputation of another so-called "strong man" (who is usually short sighted) as is usually blindly say in our Liberian community so that this strong man..., makes himself a politician by looking for avenues to support his documents for political asylum in the west? I am finding it difficult to intimately grasp the sense for which a Liberian national living in Abidjan, La Côte d' Ivoire, would want to cast his grievances against an honorable, honest and friendly Ambassador whose tireless efforts have helped our Liberian Community living here to be in good harmony with our Ivorian hosts as regards the political events that have unfolded in La Côte d' Ivoire since July 2000...

The Ambassador's Residence in Abidjan which this J. Amos Wheagar talked about in his article that is mischievous indeed, is infact still under renovation. The Liberian President, Charles Taylor, since the Ambassador's arrival for his mission here in La Côte d' Ivoire, has only been here two times. That is, his working visit that he took on November 4, 2000 in Abidjan and another stop over he had on March 26, 2001 while on his way to Taipei, Taiwan. On the President's first visit, accordingly, he was received by his homologue at the Ivorian Presidential palace after which he then left for Monrovia the same day. In the case of the second instance, the President made a brief stop over at an important Ivorian hotel before he left for Taipei, Taiwan and on his return, spent an overnight at this same hotel. How come the President did not go to stay at this residence that Wheagar says was seized from the Ambassador? One sees no logic for a President to prefer a hotel to a residence which a country acquired through dignified means and standing in international affairs as alleged by this Wheagar. It is also inconceivable that a President of a nation recognized under all international legal conventions would move in a house still under renovations. The article also wants readers to believe that Mohamed Salami is doing only lips service inorder to suck up our Liberian God-given resources. This business of logging as we Liberians know it, has no monopoly and is opened to anyone (both Liberians and International Investors) who has the income to go into it. Over twenty years, logging went on in Liberia and Liberia has the highest illiteracy rate and pitiful road conditions compare to African states, which got their independence yesterday. The money did not go to renovate our embassy in Abidjan but rather to some unknown pockets whereas Wheagar was proud to say during his 10 years in La Côte d' Ivoire: "I am going to the Liberian Embassy"---a place that used to look like an abandoned store with all kinds of infected rats that did scare away visitors. How come Wheagar did not write to inform the world about the then state of our embassy at the time? Is it that he is against development? Any Liberian visiting Abidjan and seeing the present state of the embassy is proud to call the name it deserves-Embassy. Other nationals who have visited the place recently could attest to this. One sees it again as a concocted lie that the Ambassador is paying 2,500 United States Dollars for rent a month whereas employees are not being paid. The Ambassador is an intellectual and a seasoned Diplomat whose judgements about situations are based on critical thinking and rationale. He lives in an affordable place to be able to make his rent payments on schedule and to avoid any financial embarrassment regarding little thing like rent. The Ambassador has never sat with this Wheagar to make any holy statements inorder to clear any doubts about any property rights relating to any top Liberian government officials but rather has preoccupied himself with various aspects of his mission here in La Côte d' Ivoire which is now reaping qualitatively seeing our Liberian embassy being what it is today. The Ambassador has used his experience to bring cross-section of Liberians together so as to clarify and repudiate negative activities attributed to our Liberian President and our country, Liberia. He has no time to involve himself in trevious small talks as well as connecting himself with the likes of failures, ne'er-do-well Liberians who feel that the world owes them what they desire.

This Wheagar will have to acquaint himself with the Liberian Constitution as he seems to live in "darkness". This means that even this Constitution stipulates that to own property, to pursue one's life and happiness are all cardinal planks that it supports. It is through hard work and perseverance that one is able to live well and also be able to use his income, as he deems necessary. The Ambassador wanting to promote Liberia's national interest here, envies no one for what he has and would not engage in a small war of undermining people for what they have

Diplomacy is a game of tact base on reasoning and not rights and if Wheagar feels he has rights to be lying on Diplomats he is taking a path that is full of difficulties. The international reading community is not going to allow this Wheagar to dupe them seeing how poorly he is educated about evolving situations in International Relations and Diplomacy. I am hopping that this present article will serve as a panacea to any negative sentiments that he may have against our honorable, friendly and easy going Ambassador.

S. Clarence Gono, Jr. B.A. INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
U.S. INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY
Assistant for Political
And Communication Affairs
Liberian Embassy,
Abidjan, La Côte d' Ivoire