African state revokes vote against ceasefire in Gaza

RT
Tue, 19 Dec 2023 10:34 UTC

© Yves Herman - WPA Pool/Getty Images

FILE PHOTO: Liberia President George Weah speaks during the UN Climate Change Conference COP26 at SECC on November 1, 2021 in Glasgow, United Kingdom.

Liberia voted against a ceasefire in Gaza a week ago, along with the US, being the only African country to do so

The president of Liberia, George Weah, instructed Foreign Minister Dee-Maxwell Saah Kemayah on Sunday to cancel Monrovia's vote made a week ago in the UN General Assembly against an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

Liberia was the sole African nation to vote against the resolution, which was endorsed by 153 countries. Ten nations came out against the measure, while 23 abstained.

The Liberian president spoke at a Sunday church service where he said the government's position was rejected by a "wicked" Liberian who worked at the Liberian Embassy in Washington. The name of the embassy official who changed Monrovia's vote was not mentioned.

"A wicked person in the embassy... when they told us to vote, that person whatever they did - that Liberian that voted for war is a wicked Liberian, and God will not spare that person, and every person's life that was taken in that war because that person voted, they will also feel the wrath of the true living God," President Weah claimed.

At the same time, Weah clarified that his support for ending the war was not against the US but that Liberia stood with the United Nations and the rest of the world for global peace and stability.

According to earlier reports, Liberia was the only African nation to vote against a humanitarian truce in the Middle East. Israel received support from nine countries worldwide, including the previously mentioned African country, the US, Paraguay, Austria, Papua New Guinea, Guatemala, the Czech Republic, Nauru, and Micronesia.

Comment: Well, that is one down. What happened for the unfortunate Liberian in the Washington Embassy might have been along the lines of:

• How the South Pacific Nations are selling their votes at United Nations
• Nikki Haley hosts Jerusalem UN vote after-party for 'Friends of the US': Countries representing 0.5% of world population show up

From the way the Liberian President expresses himself, it appears he has more faith in God, "the United Nations and the rest of the world for global peace and stability" than fear of the US, though he diplomatically conveys that "his support for ending the war was not against the US". It is not clear what the cancelled vote now is counted as, but the publicity the President and Liberia gets from making this adjustment to their vote, makes up for that by a large margin.