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East/Subsaharan Africa
Bush: Taylor has to go
2003-07-06
EFL
President Bush says he will not accept any outcome that allows Liberian President Charles Taylor, a one-time warlord wanted on war crimes charges, to remain in power in his embattled country. African leaders have asked Bush to decide whether to send American troops to help bring stability to Liberia before he departs Monday for his trip to the continent. The White House said Bush did not feel bound by the deadline. In the region, negotiations continued to persuade Taylor to relinquish power, as Bush and a growing number of world leaders are demanding.
"Whether" isn't open to discussion anymore. "How" seems to be, for the time being. My personal opinion is that we should recognize LURD and/or MODEL as the legit government of Liberia and then if they don't behave when Chuck's gone, kick them over while they're still weak. Let 'em keep trying until they get it right. But that would be hegemonistic of us, even though it would be a good "learning experience" for them...
Talks also were under way about the makeup of any international peacekeeping force to watch over a cease-fire between Taylor's government forces and rebel insurgents who have him cornered in his capital. White House officials said the president was still listening to advisers before he makes the final call on whether American troops should be a part of any peacekeeping effort. Key in that process is the team of 10-15 experts being sent to Monrovia, Liberia's capital, to determine the most effective U.S. contribution. Lt. Cmdr. Rick Haupt, a spokesman for the U.S. European Command, said the assessment team was being organized to deploy, but he said nothing about when they would leave or how long they would stay. A Department of Defense spokesman, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the assessment team was to leave Sunday for the Liberian capital.
Doesn't sound like we'll have an announcement on Monday.
Bush said in a television interview that information from separate meetings between U.S. officials and the 15-country Economic Community of West African States also would be crucial to his decision. That bloc said Friday it would contribute 3,000 troops. "That's very important information for me, the decision-maker on this issue, to understand what the recommendations might be," Bush said in an interview with the Voice of America, conducted Thursday and aired Saturday. Bush leaves Monday for a five-day African trip, which includes a meeting with Obasanjo next Saturday during his stay in Nigeria. Bush won't visit Liberia, but his first stop is in nearby Senegal. In the Voice of America interview, Bush stressed - again - that Taylor must abandon the presidency and said "I suspect he will" eventually agree to do so. I'm not going to take 'no' for an answer," he said.
Time's up, Chuckles, you're outta there!
Meanwhile, civil rights leader Jesse Jackson added his voice to the many in the region, in Europe and at the United Nations pleading for American military intervention. He said Washington has an obligation to the country founded by freed American slaves, and the need for U.S. involvement in Liberia is more clear-cut than in past situations in other African countries, such as Somalia. "Both parties, both the rebels and the Taylor forces, are inviting us in. That's different from an occupying relationship," said Jackson, who served President Clinton as a special envoy to Africa.
You're not serving now, Jesse, so sit down!
Posted by:Steve White

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