United Nations

NEW YORK, 22 August (UN Headquarters) -- The following statement was issued today by the Office of the Spokesman for Secretary-General Kofi Annan:

 At the invitation of the Secretary-General, the Chiefs of Defence Staff, or their deputies, from the nine countries contributing troops to the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL), will meet tomorrow at United Nations Headquarters.  The senior officers from Bangladesh, Ghana, Guinea, India, Jordan, Kenya, Nigeria, the Russian Federation and Zambia will discuss a wide range of issues related to UNAMSIL operations and how they can be more effective.  The Secretary- General's Special Representative, Oduyemi Adeniji, and the Force Commander, Major General Vijay Jetley, also will participate.

 This meeting will provide an opportunity for the troop-contributing countries and the Secretariat to exchange views on UNAMSIL's mandate and tasks, and any revised concept of operations based on Security Council resolution 1313 of earlier this month, which asks the Secretary-General to propose a restructuring scheme after consulting with troop contributors.

 The meeting will also address the issue of equipment requirements in UNAMSIL, as well as identifying possible means of assistance in this area.

 The Secretary-General looks forward to an open and constructive discussion on all these matters and is confident that, in addition to reviewing the Mission's operational aspects, the meeting of the military chiefs will contribute to strengthening cohesion and coordination with UNAMSIL.