UN Says Shipping Agency Helped Buy Weapons For Liberia

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(Rapaport…October 24, 2001) A shipping registry run and owned by U.S. citizens has helped Liberian president Charles Taylor acquire weapons in violation of a UN arms embargo, according to a United Nations report to be presented to its sanctions committee on October 25. The Liberian Corporate & Maritime Shipping Registry (LISCR) of Tysons Corner, Virginia, is the world’s second-largest shipping registry and is the Liberian government’s largest source of revenue.

The Security Council will decide next month whether to extend Liberian sanctions on arms and diamonds, imposed because of the country’s alleged support of Sierra Leone rebels.