India extends support to peace moves in West Africa

United Nations, Aug 10 (UNI) India has backed the peace efforts of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union (AU) in restoring order and security in the region.

''We fully support the efforts of ECOWAS and the AU in cooperating to address questions of peace and security in West Africa,'' envoy to the United Nations Nirupam Sen told an open meeting of the Security Council yesterday.

According to Mr Sen, it is equally essential that international institutions and partners find ways to back the efforts of nations emerging from conflict through highly inexpensive aid, debt waivers, disarmament, demobilisation and employment-generation programmes.

Mr Sen said, ''It is only through integrated action at all these levels that the consolidation of peace can be made effective and durable.'' The Security Council debate is titled ''Peace Consolidation in West Africa'' and Foreign Minister of Ghana Akufo-Addo , which is heading the rotating monthly presidency of the Security Council for August, initiated the debate.

Mr Sen said peace should not be enforced by outsiders of a region through the show of arms. Such a situation can be termed as ''stable but fragile,'' he said, quoting Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

''The advantages obtained through employment-generation in parts of Africa have been squandered through negative resource flows, low commodity prices, lack of access to international markets and the debt trap,'' he said.

''In other words, global conditions make it likely that the vicious circle of conflict, peace and conflict becomes self-sustaining. Thus, creating peace has rarely ensured that peace remains, '' Mr Sen said.

The envoy called for prevention of military conflicts rather than enforcing military interventions. He cited estimates that showed the international community spent about 200 billion dollars on seven major interventions in the 1990s. A successful preventive plan would cost 130 billion dollars less than that amount, Mr Sen pointed out.

He also cited that expenditure on social programmes of poverty eradication, education, in particular to women, immunisation, basic health and infrastructure creates conditions for sustained economic growth.

India and other nations have written off the debt of the seven highly indebted poor countries. New Delhi, Mr Sen stated, will continue its economic and scientific initiatives which involve a credit of 500 million dollars along with technology transfers to countries in West Africa.

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