Brussels, 14/06/2002 (Agence Europe) - In Brussels on Friday, European Commissioner Poul Nielson received the President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, elected with 70% of the votes at the end of May's elections, reputed to have been free and fair. Talks were on the prospects for enhanced co-operation and the general progress made in the peace process, and President Tejan Kabbah expressed his appreciation for the 20 million euro paid out to support disarmament and the reinsertion of former fighters, and which contributed to this progress. Poul Nielson announced that following the interruption of the development programme during the civil war, the drawing up of a support strategy and a national indicative programme were in the process of being finalised within the Commission, to be signed early 2003, with an envelope of 144 million euro. President Tejan Kabbah stressed that food security was a priority for his country, a concern shared by the Commission, resolved to place emphasis on combating poverty, in close co-operation with civil society.
In the meantime, projects, funded by the 8th Fed (78 million euro) have been approved for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of economic and social infrastructures, budgetary support and the health sector. Sierra Leone has also benefited from a wide range of aid in the humanitarian field (since 1995, close to 83 million euro has been channelled through Echo and an additional 17 million will be mobilised this year) and rehabilitation. Given the improved situation, co-operation will now be directed to long-term structural problems to consolidate the peace.