And that is not all. We have also received the assurance of the United States that if negotiations do not succeed rapidly, force may be used instead. My fellow Sierra Leoneans, force is not an end in itself. It is only an option. Indeed, not the first, nor the second, but the third option in the plan to rid our people of those who want to govern without your consent, and with guns literally over your heads.
Force is an option to be used only when all else fails.
That decision alone convinced us that it was time to apply the third option, force. Instead, we chose to impose sanctions for the time being. During my visit to New York, I convinced member states, that while the option to use force remains, the United Nations Security Council should impose sanctions against the illegal regime. It is my hope that all members states will cooperate in enforcing and monitoring the sanctions. The fact is that time is not on our side.