MONROVIA, April 7 (LINA) -The Liberian leader has informed the Chair of the U. N. Peace-building Commission, Ambassador Olof Skoog,that the country is ready to talk about where it stands on UNMIL’s transition and how to accelerate the transition plan.

 
President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf pointed out that her Government was “very pleased” with the transition plan, and has a renewed commitment to the new transition plan because it will move the peace-building process forward.
 
According to an Executive Mansion release, Mr. Skoog, who is also Swedish Ambassador to the United Nations, was led to the Liberian leader’s temporary office at the Foreign Ministry by the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General to Liberia, Ms. Karen Landgren.
 
President Sirleaf also used the occasion to update the visiting head of the UN Peace-building Commission on the security hub concept which was adopted in Liberia a few years ago.
 
She noted that the operational scope of the existing hub needs to be reviewed and plans for hubs two and three finalized.
 
The Chief Executive congratulated Ambassador Skoog for his preferment as the new head of the UN Peace-building Commission and for accepting to take up the assignment and the mission to Liberia.
 
Ambassador Skoog is also chair of the Peace-building Commission’s Country Specific Configuration on Liberia.
 
Sirleaf informed Ambassador Skoog that Liberia was already in the process of implementing its five-year development plan, the Agenda for Transformation, when Ebola emerged and as the virus is being brought under control, government is still very much focused and on course with its implementation.
 
“We are keen on copying the elements of success from the Ebola crisis to our current development challenges with the restoration of the country healthcare system remaining key,” she noted.
She noted that the three most-affected countries are finalizing a Regional Recovery Plan, but Liberia has also worked on its own National Economic Recovery Plan that takes into consideration the specific needs of the country.
LINA