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06-30-03, 04:29 AM
The Electronic Telegraph ^ | 30/06/2003) | Adrian Blomfield
The United States appears to be on the brink of sending troops to end the brutal civil war in Liberia.
Officials in Washington met round the clock over the weekend to plan a possible armed response - its first mission to Africa since the disastrous intervention in Somalia almost a decade ago.
A statement is expected within the next few days, possibly as early as this evening.
President George W Bush has come under pressure from Britain and France to lead an emergency combat force to the Liberian capital, Monrovia, where at least 700 people were killed when rebels attacked a fortnight ago.
It is understood that the State Department and Pentagon are keen for action but have met opposition from the White House. Mr Bush has called on Liberian President Charles Taylor, indicted for war crimes by a United Nations court earlier this month, to step down.
Mr Taylor has welcomed a United States-led intervention, not just to end 14 years of near-constant civil war in his country, but perhaps believing it could allow him to cling to power.
"I think the US ought to come now, using my strength, my popularity and my legitimacy and work to bring peace in Liberia," Mr Taylor said.
The rebels, who called a ceasefire on Friday, say the president must step down within 30 days to pave the way for a transitional government. Mr Taylor has refused to surrender power until his term expires in January.
Kofi Annan, the UN Secretary-General, has asked the UN Security Council to approve a military mission to enforce the truce. A delegation from the council flew into nearby Ghana yesterday.
While the details of exactly what role the Americans would play in such a force remain unclear, Washington's choice appears to stark: command the mission, or do not get involved at all.
Britain, which recently led a similar mission in Sierra Leone on Liberia's northern border, and France, intervening in Ivory Coast's civil war to the south, clearly believe it is America's turn to become involved in West Africa.
Both countries have signalled they may be willing to provide military or logistic aid.
Peace in Liberia is crucial for much of West Africa. Civil wars in Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone and instability in Guinea are all offshoots of the Liberian conflict fuelled by Mr Taylor's wider ambitions.
As he grapples with Africa, a continent he will visit for the first time next month and which he has virtually ignored since coming to power, President Bush will be keenly aware of President Bill Clinton's doomed efforts in Somalia in 1994.
The United States appears to be on the brink of sending troops to end the brutal civil war in Liberia.
Officials in Washington met round the clock over the weekend to plan a possible armed response - its first mission to Africa since the disastrous intervention in Somalia almost a decade ago.
A statement is expected within the next few days, possibly as early as this evening.
President George W Bush has come under pressure from Britain and France to lead an emergency combat force to the Liberian capital, Monrovia, where at least 700 people were killed when rebels attacked a fortnight ago.
It is understood that the State Department and Pentagon are keen for action but have met opposition from the White House. Mr Bush has called on Liberian President Charles Taylor, indicted for war crimes by a United Nations court earlier this month, to step down.
Mr Taylor has welcomed a United States-led intervention, not just to end 14 years of near-constant civil war in his country, but perhaps believing it could allow him to cling to power.
"I think the US ought to come now, using my strength, my popularity and my legitimacy and work to bring peace in Liberia," Mr Taylor said.
The rebels, who called a ceasefire on Friday, say the president must step down within 30 days to pave the way for a transitional government. Mr Taylor has refused to surrender power until his term expires in January.
Kofi Annan, the UN Secretary-General, has asked the UN Security Council to approve a military mission to enforce the truce. A delegation from the council flew into nearby Ghana yesterday.
While the details of exactly what role the Americans would play in such a force remain unclear, Washington's choice appears to stark: command the mission, or do not get involved at all.
Britain, which recently led a similar mission in Sierra Leone on Liberia's northern border, and France, intervening in Ivory Coast's civil war to the south, clearly believe it is America's turn to become involved in West Africa.
Both countries have signalled they may be willing to provide military or logistic aid.
Peace in Liberia is crucial for much of West Africa. Civil wars in Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone and instability in Guinea are all offshoots of the Liberian conflict fuelled by Mr Taylor's wider ambitions.
As he grapples with Africa, a continent he will visit for the first time next month and which he has virtually ignored since coming to power, President Bush will be keenly aware of President Bill Clinton's doomed efforts in Somalia in 1994.