A Government donation of €2 million for humanitarian assistance in Liberia could be delayed following an announcement by the UN that nobody should be allowed to escape responsibility for "gross violations of human rights."
Diplomats said the statement from UN Acting High Commissioner for Human Rights Mr Bertrand Ramcharan was a clear signal that Liberia's President Charles Taylor should face trial once he has stepped down.
"The situation of human rights in Liberia has been, and remains, grave and grievous to public conscience around the globe," said Mr Ramcharan, standing in for High Commissioner Mr Sergio Vieira de Mello who is currently working in Iraq.
"The law must be allowed to take its course in respect of the mighty and the insolent - whether they be on the government or rebel side," he declared.
His remarks came in an emergency report to the UN's Commission on Human Rights on what he called "international crimes and other gross violations of human rights committed in Liberia".
However, the announcement means that Mr Taylor's commitment to stepping down next week on condition he is granted immunity from such charges now looks less likely.
Mr Taylor has been expected to go into exile in Nigeria - which could remove him from the reach of a UN-backed international tribunal in Sierra Leone which has indicted him for war crimes.
Any hope of restoring stability and bringing aid to Liberia in the near future may be lost should Mr Taylor decide to remain president.
But the UN's commitment to bringing Mr Taylor to court appears unwavering with the special envoy for Liberia, Mr Jacques-Paul Klein, recently referring to him as a "psychopathic killer".
Earlier today the Irish Government promised a further €2 million for humanitarian assistance on top of €500,000 allocated to the UN aid programme in January.
Some €500,000 has been allocated to the UN's revised humanitarian appeal, while an additional €250,000 will be given to the Red Cross. The remainder, €1.25 million, will be disbursed Irish and international NGOs.
In his report, Mr Ramcharan said over 250,000 people, half of them civilians, had died in the fighting over the last few months.
Since the conflict reached Monrovia in June several hundred have been killed with civilians deliberately targetted.
Meanwhile, Liberia's rebels added tough new conditions for opening Monrovia's desperately needed port today as West African peacekeepers faced the challenge of bringing some respite to the hungry and homeless of the city.
Additional reporting agencies
