Military

DATE=8-12-03

TYPE=INTERVIEW

NUMBER=3-764

TITLE=LIBERIA

BYLINE=JAMES BERTEL

DATELINE=WASHINGTON

INTRODUCTION

Yesterday Liberia's embattled President Charles Taylor resigned from office and left the country for exile in Nigeria. A fragile cease-fire appears to be holding in the war-torn West African Nation. VOA's James Butty is in Monrovia and reports on the situation there.

MR. BERTEL

Joining us now from Monrovia is VOA's James Butty. James, thanks again for joining us.

Charles Taylor has now been gone for 24 hours. Bring us up to date on the situation on the ground there.

MR. BUTTY

Yes, that's correct. As you said, Charles Taylor has been gone for close to 24 hours. Today the people of Liberia, and Monrovia particularly, the city that has been divided, got some welcome news. The rebel [group] LURD, which has been controlling the port area, today agreed, following a meeting with the U.S. Ambassador and Major General Thomas Turner, who is the commander of the U.S. warship -- as you mentioned in that report -- that is off the coast of Monrovia, following that meeting this afternoon, the rebel [group] LURD agreed that they will leave the port area as of Thursday, this coming Thursday, and return to their positions, which is the Po River area, the positions they held before the June 17th peace agreement in Ghana. So it was welcome news for the people of Monrovia.

MR. BERTEL

Well, James, we've heard reports that the rebels want to head up an interim administration. They've turned down the vice presidency offered to them by Moses Blah. Are tensions still running high?

MR. BUTTY

Well, that was the indication we got this morning, because we were at the rebel headquarters this morning, awaiting this meeting between the U.S. embassy, the commander of the West African peacekeeping force, and the rebel chief of staff General Sheriff. Prior to that meeting we were told by the rebel spokesperson, Mr. Fofana, that the rebels were making new demands, which is that they did not honor the induction yesterday of Vice President Blah, that they felt that Vice President Blah was no different from Mr.~Charles Taylor, because he was a general in Charles Taylor's rebel movement.

So they did not honor his presidency. They did not believe that he represented the people of Liberia. So, therefore, they want their leader, Sekou Damate Conneh, to head whatever interim government is put in place. That was the indication we got this morning.

Following the meeting with the U.S. Ambassador and the West African military leaders, the rebels then changed their position. They claim that they were giving up the port because of humanitarian reasons. As you know, the port is almost like the lifeline for Monrovia, for the people of this city. Food that is needed by people on both sides of the city is coming through that port as well as other supplies. As long as the rebels control it, one side of the city cannot get food. So the rebels have now changed their position, saying that they were giving up the port because of a concern for the Liberian people.

MR. BERTEL

So, James, this is good news that humanitarian aid could start flowing in the next few days. James Butty in Monrovia, thank you very much for being with us once again.

(End of interview.)

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