British Prime Minister Tony Blair has arrived in Sierra Leone where a 10-year civil war officially ended last month.

Making a brief stop on a four-nation West African tour, Mr. Blair was greeted by President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah at the airport outside the capital city, Freetown.

During his visit the prime minister is scheduled to meet with U.N. special representative Oluymei Adeniji. The U.N. peacekeeping force in Sierra Leone is the world's largest. It is backed by British troops, which have provided support for the government in Sierra Leone since 2000.

Sierra Leone's brutal 10-year war between the government and the rebel Revolutionary United Front formally ended last month following a U.N. administered disarmament program.

Mr. Blair is scheduled to go to Senegal later Saturday. On Friday, Mr. Blair was in Ghana, where he spoke to the nation's parliament, calling for a more balanced relationship between Africa and the developed world. During his visit to Ghana, a former British colony, Mr. Blair held talks with President John Kufour and other officials. He was the first British prime minister to visit Ghana in more than 40 years.

Mr. Blair's trip began Thursday in Nigeria. Mr. Blair's four-nation tour is designed to press for political stability as a means to economic development.

Some information for this report provided by AP and AFP.

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