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East/Subsaharan Africa
Taylor says he’ll step aside in January
2003-06-22
Sure he will.
CNN - President Charles Taylor told CNN on Saturday that he will step down from his presidency at the end of his term in January and won't participate in a transitional government. "I am making a major sacrifice," he said in an exclusive interview with CNN International anchor Rosemary Church.
Wonder what CNN and Rosemary had to do/say/pay to get this exclusive?
"At the end of my term in January, I will be stepping aside. I will not be part of the transition. I have no interest in the transition."
"I only have interest in absolute rule. As you American TV people like to say, 'stay tuned.'"
The Liberian government and rebels signed a cease-fire agreement Tuesday after weeks of bloodshed during which hundreds of civilians were killed. The accord calls for the eventual formation of a transitional government that would exclude Taylor. He told CNN that he wants to be available to help the government, but said "I stand on my word" and will keep his pledge to step down, an assurance he made at a summit June 4 in Accra, Ghana.
One that he'll make again next June, and the June after that.
Taylor stressed that the cease-fire agreement his government signed in Akosombo, Ghana, with the rebels has nothing to do with how long he is staying in office. The cease-fire calls for a 30-day deadline for talks on a comprehensive peace accord and on the transitional government. Mediators fear that warfare could resume if an exit strategy favored by Taylor isn't developed. Some reports have said Taylor is backing away from the signed truce.
Well, I am so surprised...
Taylor has said he would step down from office only if U.N. war crimes charges against him are dropped. He was indicted this month by a joint U.N.-Sierra Leonean tribunal on charges of arming rebels in Sierra Leone, which borders Liberia, leading to a prolonged civil war in the 1990s in which up to 50,000 people were killed. In the interview, Taylor would not be drawn into a discussion on the matter, but he indicated that there are many diplomatic "scenarios" that could address his concerns. He did not indicate whether his stepping aside in January would hinge on those concerns.
Three guesses, though.
The Liberian leader said he has a commitment to his colleagues in the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States to step aside. When asked whether he feels he can hold out until January, Taylor said he has no choice but to defend the country from its liberators enemies. A small contingent of U.S. military personnel have been standing by in the region in case they get an opportunity to bag Charlie U.S. citizens in the country are endangered.
Posted by:Steve White

#1  CNN should have asked him if he meant January 2004.

I guess the move buys him some temporary relief from the unrelenting pressure. I'm going to step down! I promise! You may all go home while I re-group and fortify for the next 6 months.

Posted by: Becky   6/22/03 10:13:54 AM  

00:00