The News Review:

- EU AGREES BAN ON ATLANTIC SWORDFISH IMPORTS FROM SIERRA LEONE.(Brief…
- General News of Saturday, 20 March 2004
- Belgian Study: Physical, Mental Suffering of Child Soldiers

EU AGREES BAN ON ATLANTIC SWORDFISH IMPORTS FROM SIERRA LEONE.(Brief…
Free with registration – European Report – AccessMyLibrary.com – Mar 20, 2004
(Brief Article) –> COPYRIGHT 2004 Europe Information Service The European Union has agreed a ban on imports of Atlantic swordfish from Sierra Leone in the wake of international concerns over illegal fishing around the West African nation. The move comes after what fisheries inspectors called unregulated and unreported tuna catches by large-scale longline vessels.

General News of Saturday, 20 March 2004
ghanaweb.com – Mar 20, 2004
“All that we need now is the continued encouragement of the world and the support of our partners and the ECOWAS dream will be realized sooner, creating a win-win situation for all,” he said. President Kufuor particularly called for the support of the World Bank, whose President, James Wolfensohn is attending the Summit as a special Guest, to aid the Sub-Region’s progressHe explained that because of the numerous conflicts that occurred in the West African sub-region, it had not been able to move as fast as expected in its economic integration efforts. President Kufuor noted that with the leaders in the sub-region coming together to resolve the conflict in Cote D’Ivoire, Sierra Leone, Guinea Bissau and Liberia, they had strengthened their resolve to settle disputes as a group. He said sub-region was now stable, firm and poised to take off in the direction of true economic development and integration. Topics to be discussed at the summit are ” Implementation of NEPAD in West Africa-An agenda for accelerating growth and fighting poverty”;”Addressing the Sources and Effects of Conflicts in West Africa”; “Building Regional Infrastructure”; “Accelerating Trade Reforms and Regional Integration” and “Key Messages and Way Forward. The Treaty of Lagos, which established ECOWAS in 1975, was revised in July 1993 to reflect West Africa’s regional cooperation experiences over the preceding fifteen years. This takes into account the exigencies of continental integration as envisaged in the Treaty of the African Economic Community.

Belgian Study: Physical, Mental Suffering of Child Soldiers
epochtimes.com – Mar 20, 2004
Human Rights Watch official Jo Becker describes some positive steps. She says the United Nations Children's Fund has worked with governments and private organizations to demobilize and rehabilitate thousands of children in Sierra Leone, southern Sudan, Afghanistan and other countries. A special court in Sierra Leone has charged 11 people with the crime of recruiting children during conflict. Becker agrees with the Lancet's editors that sanctions must be widespread. “What we need are concrete actions that show that the legal framework isn't just words on paper,” she said. “We do need active prosecution by national courts, as well as ad hoc tribunals and the International Criminal Court.