VOA News
17 Jun 2003, 16:21 UTC
Liberian government and rebel negotiators, meeting in Ghana, have signed a cease-fire agreement that calls, among other things, for the resignation of President Charles Taylor.
Negotiators at the talks in Ghana said before the signing ceremony Tuesday that under the deal, the parties would set up a transitional government in Liberia within 30 days.
They said Mr. Taylor will not be part of that government.
News of the cease-fire set off street celebrations in Monrovia, Liberia's capital, which the rebels have besieged for almost two weeks.
Liberia' latest civil war began four years ago. The two rebel factions - Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) and the Movement for Democracy in Liberia (MODEL) - control two-thirds of the country.
Peace talks began earlier this month in Akosombo, Ghana, under the sponsorship of the Economic Community of West African States, or ECOWAS.
The Liberian president is under international sanctions for his alleged role as the mastermind of West Africa's regional wars. The U.N.-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone has indicted him in connection with atrocities committed by that country's rebels during a 10 year civil war.
Some information for this report provided by AP, Reuters and AFP.
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