“I believe in human rights for everyone. I believe that no one’s human rights should be violated regardless of [anything],” Ambassador Greenfield said.
The comments from the top US diplomat came yesterday at the US embassy in Monrovia after she granted farewell interviews to members of the Liberian media.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with the Daily Observer, Ambassador Greenfield said her government’s policy on gay rights was clear and in the public domain.
She stated, however, that the issue of gay rights in Liberia was being surrounded by what she referred to as “misconceptions”.
“Our policies on gay rights are in the public domain,” she said. “I think the issue that has appeared in Liberia is the issue of misconception that United States aid is tied to Liberia’s actions in these areas, and this is not the case,” she said.
She told the Daily Observer that she was surprised to learn that gay rights in Liberia were an issue.
“I don’t know that this is an issue here in Liberia; although I read about it in the press all the time, I was surprised to hear that this is an issue in Liberia.”
But when the Daily Observer asked whether she supports gay rights in Liberia, the United States Ambassador replied, “I support the issue of human rights for every person regardless of their orientation, their race or their nationality. I strongly believe that gay rights are human rights,” she declared.
Commenting on her greatest achievements as US Ambassador to Liberia, the outgoing Ambassador said Liberia’s success was her success.
“I am glad that Liberia is much stronger than what it was before,” she said. “Liberians went to a peaceful election in 2011 that produced a new government. Today, thousands of Liberian children are in schools unlike the past. I am proud that I was part of that process.”
Asked about major threats to Liberia’s development, Ambassador Greenfield, who arrived in Liberia three years ago, named land conflicts, reconciliation, corruption and youth unemployment as the four major issues that pose threats to Liberia’s growth and development.
“This is something that all Liberians and the government will have to work toward in rebuilding Liberia,” she asserted.
Regarding the US government’s support to Liberia, Madam Greenfield said a total of US$200 million each year has been spent on Liberia, amounting to a total of US$ 800 million over the last three and a half years.
She further mentioned education, health, justice, and the construction of the National Elections Commission of Liberia (NEC) headquarters as some of the areas to which large amounts of funding were allocated.
Asked further about President Sirleaf’s latest appointments in government, she replied “We are watching it very closely.”
“I am not sure that the issues of culture or political affiliation are playing in the President’s mind when it comes to appointments,” she said.
She stated that those nominated by President Sirleaf should be judged on the basis of their qualifications to perform and not necessarily their tribes or political background.
“My way of nominating people for jobs is whether they are qualified and whether they can do the job and carry out the mandate the President has been given by the people of Liberia. I think that’s how they should be judged,” the US Ambassador said.
“I think if you start doing this balancing act between tribes and political parties and other factors, nobody will be happy. Everybody will be happy with a good strong job performance delivering to the people. And that is what we are going to watch out for. I don’t care what party they are coming from or tribal group they come from. The question is, can they deliver?”
Asked by the Daily Observer as to what were President Sirleaf’s short comings, the US envoy said she preferred to focus on the strength.
“I will not want to comment on her short comings but rather her strength,” she said
“She has a very strong leadership skill,” she said, “One who has provided the kind of leadership a country would need coming out of war. She has brought respect back to Liberia. People can open doors for her, something that was never done by other leaders in the last 15 years. That is something that every Liberian should be proud of,” the outgoing US ambassador told Liberians.
She did not give the name of her successor on grounds that a decision was yet to be made by the US Department of State. Asked about her favorite county, she named Lofa, although her taste for its favorite food, “torborgee,” is a work in progress.
“I love Lofa County. I visited Lofa in 1978 to 1979. However, I don’t like torborgee but rather fufu and soup [as well as] potatoes grains,” she said. She ended by calling on Liberians to join hands in rebuilding the country, as it is all that Liberians have.
