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| Africa: West |
| U.S. Asks U.N. for Liberia Peace Force |
| 2003-07-31 |
| This is masterful: we ask the UN for permisson. They’ll take weeks, weeks to decide. In the meantime we can’t land the Marines -- why, that would be so unilateral of us. And that gives LURD the time to make sure Chuckles engages a lamppost via a piano wire. The United States asked the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday to authorize a multinational force to help implement a cease-fire in war-ravaged Liberia and then replace it with U.N. peacekeepers by October. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan urged west African nations to immediately announce the date for deployment of the troops they are assembling to be the vanguard of the multinational force. "Somebody decide something! You guys are making me look ineffectual!" The draft resolution makes no mention of participation by U.S. troops, despite international calls for the U.S. military to take the lead in ending a conflict between troops loyal to President Charles Taylor and rebels trying to oust him. President Bush said Wednesday the conditions he set for a Liberian rescue mission still exist: ``Charles Taylor must go, cease-fire must be in place, and we will be there to help’’ the force being sent by the Economic Community of West African States, known as ECOWAS. Logistics and support still seem to be the limit. U.S. Ambassador John Negroponte introduced the resolution at a closed council meeting and made clear the United States wants the West Africans to lead the multinational force. ``At the moment what we’re talking about is providing support to ECOWAS and the United Nations in this effort to bring peace to Liberia and to enable us to deal with this desperate humanitarian situation,’’ he said. Annan expressed deep concern at the delay in the arrival of the 1,500-strong West African force and the worsening plight of the Liberian people. ``The Nigerians, or ECOWAS ... should indicate to us today what the D-day should be for the deployment of the forces,’’ Annan told a news conference. Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo said Tuesday after meeting British Prime Minister Tony Blair in London that peacekeeping troops might arrive in ``a few days.’’ "Um, let’s see, Tuesday, Tuesday ... nope, Tuesday’s out, gotta go cut a ribbon on a highway in Lagos. Um, Wednesday, Wednesday ..." Annan envisions the regional force being expanded quickly to a multinational force, hopefully led by the United States, and then replaced in a short time by a U.N. peacekeeping force. The secretary-general said Bush indicated the United States ``will support the efforts’’ and expressed hope that once U.S. and ECOWAS forces ``are on the ground, the two forces will cooperate and make a difference in the lives of the Liberians, who are in such dire straights at the moment.’’ The U.S. draft resolution would authorize the U.N. mission in Sierra Leone to provide logistical support to ECOWAS for a limited period as Annan requested, including transporting a Nigerian battalion to Liberia. Correct me if I’m wrong, but a battalion is about 500 men, give or take. What in the world will 500 men do in Liberia? That size force couldn’t even prevent the looting the womens clothing district of Monrovia. It would establish a multinational force to support implementation of a cease-fire agreement, help establish security after Taylor’s departure and the installation of ``a successor authority,’’ and help ensure delivery of desperately needed humanitarian aid. The Security Council would also be asked to declare its readiness to establish a follow-on U.N. peacekeeping force and be ready to deploy it ``no later than Oct. 1.’’ "Right after we deploy the replacement UN force for the Congo." |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #9 It was just a guess.I was under the gun and it sounded good at the time. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2003-7-31 11:32:02 PM |
| #8 I'm looking at my trusty atlas here... and I can't seem to figure out which two countries you might be thinking of... |
| Posted by: Rafael 2003-7-31 11:24:45 PM |
| #7 Ummmmmmmmmmmmm.... maybe, like, two? |
| Posted by: tu3031 2003-7-31 10:24:38 PM |
| #6 Bill? how many African countries is this not applicable to? |
| Posted by: Frank G 2003-7-31 5:54:16 PM |
| #5 While these guys are dicking around, civilians are getting killed by both sides, and are dying of starvation and diseases. |
| Posted by: Bill 2003-7-31 5:35:45 PM |
| #4 And will somebody PLEASE teach those newspaper hacks how to spell? It's "dire straits", dammit... Call it nitpicking if you want, but aren't journalists paid to write? |
| Posted by: Emperor Misha I 2003-7-31 4:12:17 PM |
| #3 West African leaders committed Thursday to deploy the first peace troops to warring Liberia by the start of next week, and said President Charles Taylor would go into exile three days later. The leaders, meeting in Ghana, agreed to send a vanguard of 1,500 peacekeepers, expected to be two battalions from Nigeria. Mohamed Ibn Chambas, executive secretary of the West African leaders' bloc, said the vanguard force would provide the ``appropriate conditions for the handover of power, and departure from Liberia, of President Charles Taylor.'' I'll believe Chucky is going to leave as soon as his body reaches room temperature. |
| Posted by: Steve 2003-7-31 12:56:11 PM |
| #2 Don't they have to pass 10-12 resolutions before doing that? |
| Posted by: Pappy 2003-7-31 12:25:17 PM |
| #1 Send in the inspectors first. We've got 10 years worth of games to play before boots hit the ground. |
| Posted by: Yank 2003-7-31 11:03:23 AM |