Speeches

National Day Remarks 2006

February 17, 2006

American National Day Reception Remarks By Ambassador Thomas N. Hull

Honorable Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Honorable Speaker of Parliament, Mr. Lord Chief Justice, Your Worship the Mayor, Other Honorable Ministers, Members of Parliament, Excellencies and Other Members of the Diplomatic and Consular Corps, Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen:
 
I would like to welcome you to the American Embassy’s national day reception.
 
Many of you ask why we hold this event in February instead of on our country’s birthday, the 4th of July, when the Declaration of Independence set forth the democratic principles that have guided the United States of America for nearly 230 years.  The answer is simple: it rains in July in Freetown, and we do not have sufficiently large space to accommodate all of our friends in July.  Like many other American Embassies in tropical countries, we elect to associate our national day with our President’s Day holiday in February in order to hold our reception outdoors with more guests.
 
2006 will be a significant transitional year for the American Embassy.  We will relocate to our new chancery near Leicester Peak later this year.  Soon thereafter, we will resume visa operations that were “temporarily” relocated to Conakry nine years ago.  I expect the relocation will also allow us to resume observance of our national day on July 4th next year because we will have sufficient space to celebrate inside the new chancery.
 
As we focus on internal changes for the American Embassy, I am mindful that 2006 is also an important transitional year for the country around us.  Sierra Leone entered a new era on the 1st of January with the departure of the UNAMSIL peacekeepers who established the tranquility that the country now enjoys.  That departure was also recognition by the international community that Sierra Leone can stand on its own.
 
As Sierra Leone moves toward elections in 2007, the conditions for a successful transition to a new president are being set in 2006.  Those elections, and the campaigns that precede them as well as the transition that follows, will be watched closely by the United States as an indication of Sierra Leone’s progress in moving to greater democracy.  As the National Electoral Commission and the Political Parties Registration Commission establish the way forward, the political process must be respected by all concerned through non-interference in election preparations; by tolerance of all political parties everywhere in the country; and by education of the electorate through a genuine and vigorous debate of the issues.  The progress of election preparations is encouraging, but must be sustained right through the local elections of 2008.  The American Embassy will work with the Commissions, the UN, and others to assure that the playing field is as level as possible for all candidates.
 
The United States and others in the donor community are working in partnership with the Government of Sierra Leone to address the causes of conflict through the Poverty Reduction Strategy that we committed to at the Consultative Group meeting.  In the current parlance of development, Sierra Leone is still a fragile state, and we look forward to the day when Sierra Leone becomes fully self-reliant with a respectable standard of living for its citizens.  The work we do collectively in 2006 will bring that day closer, but its fulfillment will depend on the commitment of all Sierra Leoneans to the task.
 
The United States is pleased to be a partner with the Government of Sierra Leone in key sectors where we can contribute meaningfully to the development of the country and the quality of life of its people.  Our major USAID programs are in improving agricultural production for food security; strengthening ward committees, which are the most basic grassroots level of decentralization and democracy; and developing the diamond sector in a manner that benefits diamond-producing communities so that this country will never again be synonymous with ‘blood diamonds.’  The United States sponsors many more smaller-scale projects, too numerous to mention, in areas ranging from human rights to conservation, from community development to health and education.  In all of our endeavors, we greatly appreciate the encouragement and cooperation that we have received from the Government and from the international NGO’s and local community based organizations with which we work.
 
As I look ahead, I see the combined endeavors of the government, the parliament, and the judiciary to accomplish law reform and judicial reform as essential to creating a more just society.  The legal framework and human capacity for advancing Sierra Leone are improving daily, but stronger implementation of the law is necessary for all Sierra Leoneans to feel that they have access to justice. 
 
Corruption remains an impediment to development in the view of both the public and the donors, including the United States.  All of us look to the Anti-Corruption Commission to reinvigorate its investigations and prosecutions of those people who have obstructed Sierra Leone’s progress through their misdeeds.  The international commitment to and the public’s confidence in Sierra Leone depend in large measure on the government’s success in expeditiously addressing corruption at all levels.
 
The year 2006 will also be significant in another aspect of Sierra Leonean justice because we expect verdicts on war crimes from the Special Court for Sierra Leone within a few months.  Whether those verdicts are guilty or innocent, it is imperative that Sierra Leone’s politicians and public accept the judgments peacefully.  The United States is proud to be the largest contributor to the Special Court to date.  At the same time, we recognize that the work of the Special Court will be incomplete until all indictees are brought to justice.  We share the frustrations of Sierra Leoneans in this respect.
 
Human rights are an important element of American relations with any country.  While Sierra Leone has a good record on the whole, especially in the areas of religious and ethnic relations, there are a number of deficiencies, often born of extreme poverty and limited resources, that need rectification.  I am concerned about issues that could show improvement especially the rights of women and children, of prisoners and victims, and of freedom of the press.  The United States is looking forward to the finalization very soon of Sierra Leone’s new National Human Rights Commission to deal with such priorities, as well as to the passage of new legislation proposed by the Law Reform Commission.
 
Civil society has played a commendable role in monitoring and advocating for good governance and greater respect for human rights; for example, by tracking Government action on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s recommendations.  The Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights has also proven crucial to moving the Government’s human rights agenda forward.  The progress made with the passage of the Trafficking-in-Persons Act last year and the first meeting of the Inter-Ministerial Committee against human trafficking last week is laudable, and the United States will be funding anti-trafficking activities in collaboration with UNICEF and the Government’s new Trafficking-in-Persons Task Force to address this problem further.  I know that some Sierra Leoneans may feel that we are always moving the goal posts on human rights issues, but the reality is that one accomplishment always leads to more challenges.
 
As Sierra Leone struggles to emerge from destruction and destitution, the bitter memory of the horrors that Sierra Leoneans suffered should be sufficient to deter future conflict.  Nevertheless, the continued improvement of Sierra Leone’s security forces under civilian authority and with full respect for the public is absolutely essential for further consolidation of peace.  The American Government is also a partner in this effort.  We will continue our participation in the British IMATT initiative.  Our long-awaited harbor patrol boats to counter smuggling, piracy, and illegal fishing will arrive very soon to bolster the Maritime wing of the RSLAF.  Our recently established regional FBI office, known as the Legal Attache Office, will soon facilitate criminal investigation training for the Sierra Leone Police.
 

I think we can all look back with a measure of satisfaction at the progress Sierra Leone has made in recent years.  The accomplishments will be for naught, however, unless we redouble our efforts to solidify peace and build a brighter future for the country.  The United States of America is committed to Sierra Leone, as our investment in a new embassy complex indicates, because we believe that the country can and will prosper democratically and economically.  In that spirit, and in conclusion, I would like to ask you to raise your glasses in a toast to the continued warm relations between the United States and Sierra Leone.