Draft accord for Liberia cease-fire calls for Taylor's resignation

Associated Press | June 17, 2003 | KWASI KPODO

[HAL9000]

ACCRA, Ghana (AP) -- Liberia's government has agreed to a proposed cease-fire deal calling for President Charles Taylor to cede power in 30 days and stay out of the interim administration that would replace him, the defense minister confirmed Tuesday.

There was no immediate confirmation from Taylor that he had accepted the proposal, reached with rebels in peace talks held in the nearby West African nation of Ghana.

But Defense Minister Daniel Chea said Taylor made clear when talks started June 4 that he would surrender power in the interests of peace. The agreement is "in conformity with President Taylor's June 4 proclamation,'' Chea told The Associated Press.

Liberia's 3-year civil war has escalated in recent weeks, with rebels threatening to overrun the capital, Monrovia.

Rebels, government representatives and mediators said they expected to sign the cease-fire accord later Tuesday. But participants in the Liberian talks have declared signing of a cease-fire imminent before. Taylor, likewise, has signed accords in 14 years of conflicts -- only to break them and return to fighting.

Taylor declared in his emotional June 4 speech that he would yield power at some unspecified point, and stay out of a succeeding interim government.

"If President Taylor is seen as a problem, then I will remove myself. I'm doing this because I'm tired of the people dying. I can no longer see this genocide in Liberia,'' the Liberian leader said then.

Taylor made his pledge hours after a U.N.-backed court announced his indictment for war crimes and called on Ghana to arrest him. The president returned to Liberia after the indictment, and has not repeated the pledge since.

Under the proposed agreement, a West African-led "stabilization force'' of more than 2,000 troops would back up the cease-fire, according to West African mediators. Washington officials say the United States was considering unspecified support for such a force.

Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

[JohnGalt]

This was on Lew Rockwell's blog yesterday, a response to an article posted about US troops getting involved with Liberia.

re: And now...Liberia
Posted by Lew Rockwell at 02:17 PM
A friend writes: "Interesting post on your blog today about Liberia. Due to a complex set of circumstances I am somewhat familiar with some of the activities there. A successor to President Taylor has already been chosen by 'the powers that be.' His name is Winston Taubman. His son Winston Jr is running around DC right now cutting diamond rights and gold rights deals with various Carlyle Group types. Winston Sr is in Nairobi, Kenya. The US just sent troops to rescue Senior's wife who was holed up in the American Embassy in Liberia (It's not clear if it was French troops or US troops that actually moved her out.) Taubman is a cousin of the President of Sierra Leone. The African Union is going to be a very interesting place."