Monrovia – President George Manneh Weah departed Monrovia last Friday to attend the 73rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. But multiple sources have informed FrontPageAfrica that the President is unlikely to meet with members of the country’s Diaspora community.
On August 28, the Minister of State for Presidential Affairs and Chief of Staff to the President, who is steering the affairs of the state in the President’s absence along with Vice President, Madam Jewel Howard Taylor and “via telephone conversation with the President”, designated Mr. Abdullah Kiatamba as a consultant/coordinator on committees organized for the hosting of a series of engagement programs between the President and members of the Diaspora community.
Minister McGill went on to authorize Mr. Kiatamba to contact media and congressional offices to ensure that the engagement program is held successfully. Mr. Kiatamba was also designated to coordinate with the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change – USA and all other committees organized for the hosting of the events.
Minister McGill, who came under attack from some circles for sidestepping the Liberian mission in America and designating Kiatamba to organize the president’s Diaspora engagement, instructed the diplomatic mission to accord Mr. Kiatamba all necessary support in preparations for the president’s trip.
In view of the instructions, events were reportedly planned in Minneapolis, Minnesota and the city of Philadelphia. Those events, FPA has learned have now been cancelled although no one is quite sure why.
Mr. Kiatamba, when contacted at the weekend acknowledged that there were some issues with logistics and finance which could derail plans for the President to engage the Liberian community. Organizers have reportedly already booked event halls in both cities and committed resources prior to the reported cancellation of the president’s Diaspora engagements.
The reported cancellation comes amid mounting speculations that the President was granted a C-2 restrictive non-immigrant visa which could limit his travels beyond the UNGA summit.
C-2 Visa Concerns
The C-2 visa is a non-immigrant visa which allows individuals to travel to United States for the purpose of immediate and continuous transit to or from the headquarters of the United Nations, or for United Nations officials transiting the US to another foreign nation.
Holders of such a visa are considered “geographically restricted nonimmigrants”.
In March, the US embassy issued a restricted visa to Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor who was scheduled to attend the sixty-second session of the Commission of Women at the United Nations Headquarters in New York from March 12 to 23rd 2018.
The United State Embassy, citing U.S. privacy laws have repeatedly noted that it is prohibited from discussing any person’s visa application status, immigration status, or citizenship status with anyone other than the person in question.”
The travel area for recipients of a C-2 visa is limited to a 25-mile radius of Columbus Circle, which is New York City’s equivalent of the zero mile marker — the area of this circle is known in the U.S. Code, Title 22 as the “United Nations Headquarters District”. The visa is valid for the duration of the individual’s stay at the United Nations.[4] This is most relevant for countries that do not have good relations with the United States.
President Weah is due to address the UNGA on September 26, 2018 and the schedule released by the Executive Mansion puts the President returning to Monrovia on Saturday, September 29, 2018. A Dinner ball was planned in Minneapolis on September 28 and another engagement in Philadelphia on Sunday, September 30, 2018.
Late Sunday, the Executive Mansion in a news release from New York said the Liberian Leader is expected to participate in several high-level meetings including the World Drug Problem High-Level Meeting to be chaired by U.S. President, Donald Trump and High-level Plenary Meeting on Global Peace in honor of the Centenary of the birth of Nelson Mandela and with UN Secretary Antonio Guterres and a High-Level Meeting on Action for Peacekeeping, among others.
The President, according to the dispatch is also expected to meet with U.S. investors, Congressman Brian Kevin Fitzpatrick of the State of Pennsylvania; Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, former Ambassador of the United States to Liberia and Assistant US Secretary of State for African Affairs and Mr. Terje Rod-Larsen President of the International Peace Institute among others.
Michigan-Liberia Ties
The President is also visiting the United States Military Academy at West Point (Orange County) New York as well as the Michigan National Guard.
Michigan is outside the 25-mile radius but one diplomatic observer told FrontPageAfrica while a visa may be restricted to a particular event, once the political figure’s schedule is indicated prior to the application, they can be allowed to travel for that particular purpose.
In the case of the visit to the Michigan Guard, the visit is in recognition of strong ties between Michigan and Liberia. Liberia and Michigan have been connected in a special way since 2009 when the Michigan National Guard entered into a partnership with Liberia as part of the National Guard State Partnership Program. Over the years, several leader visits have taken place to exchange information and nurture relationships.
During an Armed Forces of Liberia Affiliation Day in December 2015, former President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf hailed the Michigan National Guard for their partnership, friendship, and many years of assistance. The former president emphasized the importance of constructive relationships like the one her country shares with Michigan, especially during times of strain such as conditions brought about by the Liberian Ebola crisis. The Ebola virus and its devastating side effects virtually drained the country’s internal resources spurning Sirleaf to travel to Washington in 2015 to meet with President Obama and request enhanced U.S. support.