VOA News
07 Jul 2003, 11:03 UTC
A team of American military experts has arrived in the Liberian capital, Monrovia, to assess the situation in the war-torn country ahead of a possible deployment of U.S. peacekeepers.
On Sunday, Liberian President Charles Taylor accepted an offer of asylum in Nigeria, but said his departure from the country must be "orderly," to prevent chaos and disruption. He made the announcement after talks near Monrovia with visiting Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo.
The Liberian leader gave no timetable for when he would step down as president. He had said previously that he would not leave until U.S. peacekeepers are deployed in the country.
Mr. Taylor also faces war crimes charges brought against him in Sierra Leone, because of his support for rebels in that neighboring West African nation.
U.S. President George W. Bush, who visits Africa this week, has called on Mr. Taylor to resign and leave Liberia immediately.
America's top military officer, General Richard Meyers, said Sunday that Mr. Bush has yet to make a final decision on sending troops, but that any U.S. mission to Liberia would be relatively short.
Some information for this report provided by Reuters.
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