Secretary-General ‘Deeply Concerned’ about Helicopter Delivery from Belarus

 

in Breach of Arms Embargo Imposed on Côte d’Ivoire

 

The following statement was issued on 27 February by the Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon:

The Secretary-General has learned with deep concern that three attack helicopters and related materiel from Belarus are reportedly being delivered at Yamoussoukro for Laurent Gbagbo’s forces.  The first delivery arrived reportedly on a flight which landed this evening and additional flights are scheduled for tomorrow.  This is a serious violation of the embargo against Côte d’Ivoire which has been in place since 2004.

The violation has been immediately brought to the attention of the Security Council’s committee charged with the responsibility for sanctions against Côte d’Ivoire.  The Secretary-General hopes that the Security Council will consider convening urgently a meeting to discuss this issue.

The Secretary-General demands full compliance with the arms embargo and warns both the supplier of this military equipment and Mr. Gbagbo that appropriate action will be taken in response to the violation.  The Secretary-General has asked the United Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI) to monitor the situation closely and to take all necessary action, within its mandate, to ensure that the delivered equipment is not prepared for use.

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For information media • not an official record