CIC President Koroma

 Addressing the galaxy of military men, President Koroma, after welcoming them to State House and to Sierra
Leone, expressed happiness at the opportunity to host them at this very opportune time, as “it helps us to
showcase where we are now.” The Commander-In-Chief recalled that just a few years ago Sierra Leone was
considered and was indeed a war-torn country, and had to get assistance from other countries to get back to
her feet. 

“I am happy to report that a lot has been achieved since then to the extent that what was done in support
of us, we now do to support others. Sierra Leone is now part and parcel of the United Nations
peacekeeping outfit as our soldiers are now in Darfur [Sudan] helping that country to get back to its feet.
That is where we are now,” he maintained.

The President then thanked all of them and their individual countries for the tremendous support shown
during Sierra Leone’s hour of need. He however noted that the meeting was now being held at a critical point
in the sub region’s politico-military development: “At a time when we’ve made progress in advancing the ideals
of democracy and a time when the leadership of ECOWAS has shown commitment to move forward, we are
experiencing challenges that we must consider very serious, bordering on the political, drug trafficking, the
proliferation of small arms and organized crime that could undermine the peace and stability of the sub region.
As you are the people charged with the responsibility to protect the peace in the sub region, I enjoin you to
address these challenges, sharing your experiences and comparing notes.”

The Head of State noted that he and the government and people of Sierra Leone are very concerned about
developments in Guinea, noting that the Mano River Union and ECOWAS are determined to address all the
issues threatening the peace: “At the political level, we believe we will find a solution; but we will look forward
to your own contributions with a new culture of a military force that will be professional, a military force that
will keep to its constitutional mandate, with heads that will not look beyond being Chief of Defence Staff to
become a Head of State.”

President Koroma noted that the sub region has great potentials for economic growth and development, but that
these would not be fully realised without the essential ingredient of peace: “But with the kind of commitment you
are showing, with the kind of commitment I see in your faces, I believe the sub region is entering a phase that will
usher in peace and prosperity.”

The President urged the Army Chiefs to take time off their busy schedule and look at the new Sierra Leone “and
you can go back and tell the story of the new Sierra Leone - a Sierra Leone that is peaceful, a Sierra Leone that
is ready to do business.”

President Koroma also noted that he was informed that a good number of the visitors had served in Sierra Leone
before either with ECOMOG or with UNOMSIL, thanking them profusely for the personal sacrifices they made.
He urged them to continue to play the supportive role, as any support would be welcome and appreciated.
He thanked them for the establishment of the West African standby force for which Sierra Leone has provided a depot.

Earlier, the Chief of Defence Staff of the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF), Brigadier Nelson Williams, in
introducing his counterparts, thanked the President for his unflinching support to both the RSLAF and the conference.
He noted that the Roman Army was powerful because it formed alliances with other armies, indicating that the RSLAF
is now taking the same route.

In giving the vote of thanks, the Chief of Defence Staff of the Nigerian Military,  Air Marshal Paul Dike, thanked the
President, the government and people of Sierra Leone for the hospitality accorded them, noting that the committee has
resolved that peace and security must reign in the sub region. He wished Sierra Leone better days, and revealed that a
team comprising the Chiefs of Defence Staff of Gambia, Senegal and Guinea Bissau was being sent immediately to
Guinea “to tell the military leadership there that the world has shifted from what they think it is, to what it is now.”
He ended by saying that “the road may be long, the road may be tough, but I see light at the end of the tunnel.”

The master of ceremonies was Brigadier Komba Mondeh, Assistant Chief of Defence Staff (Operations), RSLAF.
Meanwhile, President Koroma leaves Sierra Leone this afternoon for Libya to attend a conference of the Committee
of Ten, of which he is Chairman. The President and delegation will return tomorrow.

THE PRESS SECRETARIAT
STATE HOUSE
10 DECEMBER 2009