03 July 2003
White House Again Says Liberia's President Must Leave
(White House Report, July 3: Liberia, Palestinian Prime Minister
Abbas) (410)
Asked about the situation in Liberia, White House Press Secretary Ari
Fleischer told reporters early July 3 that President Bush "is focused
on what is the most effective way to bring peace and stability to
Liberia, and that is for Charles Taylor to depart."
Taylor has "looted the country. He's been a force for instability.
He's pitted faction against faction. His departure will have a
stabilizing effect," Fleischer said.
It's important for him to "leave and leave quickly," but Fleischer
would not give a timetable, saying, "I'm not going to rule anything
out on the timing."
On the question of whether the United States will send troops to
Liberia, Fleischer said "There's nothing new to report. No decision
has been made. This is a matter that will continue" to be reviewed, he
said.
Bush "is going about this in a deliberative manner. He will go about
this in a manner that focuses on achieving the mission, which is to
provide stability and peace to Liberia. He will not be guided by
artificial timetables," Fleischer said.
BUSH THANKS ABBAS FOR "STRONG LEADERSHIP"
President Bush called Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas the
morning of July 3 to thank him for the "strong leadership that he is
showing," Fleischer said.
Bush "noted how the last several weeks have been marked by strong will
and inspired leadership. The president urged the prime minister to
continue to stay in touch and work with the people who are in the
region sent for the purpose of implementing the way forward to
achieving a vision of a two-state solution between Israel and the
Palestinian Authority," said Fleischer.
Ambassador John Wolf, U.S. coordinator for implementation of the road
map to peace in the Middle East, is in the region, Fleischer pointed
out, and said Bush urged Abbas to work with him.
"The president also thanked Prime Minister Abbas and expressed his
appreciation for the arrest that the Palestinian Authority has made of
one of the individuals' responsible for a rocket attack into Israel
from the Gaza Strip, said Fleischer.
"The president stressed that it is important for the Palestinian
Authority to have a 'no nonsense' approach to security," Fleischer
said. "The president concluded by thanking him again for his strong
leadership and stated he looks forward to continuing to work with
him."
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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