The Security Council recognised the fragile security situation in the Mano River region, notably the civil war in neighbouring Liberia and the need to strengthen the capacity of the Sierra Leone Police and Armed Forces. It approved of the Secretary-General Kofi Annan's decision concerning the drawdown of the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone by the end of 2004. The Secretary-General submitted additional recommendations in early 2004 regarding a residual United Nations presence in Sierra Leone.