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Chuck says he will not step down early
Liberian President Charles Taylor said on Friday he had no intention of stepping down before his term ends in January and reserved the right to stand for re-election. A ceasefire deal was agreed this week between rebels and Taylor's government, setting a 30-day deadline for talks on a comprehensive peace deal and a transition government without Taylor. ''I intend to complete my tenure as president and turn over to the vice-president. I reserve the right, my constitutional right, following the transition, to run for general elections if I decided to do so,'' Taylor said in a radio broadcast. "I also plan to count the votes myself." Taylor, who has been indicted by a U.N.-backed war crimes court for his role in Sierra Leone's savage civil war, had said previously that he was prepared to step down at the end of his mandate if it would bring peace. But he also wants the indictment against him lifted. ''Some people have misinterpreted that President Taylor is supposedly stepping down in 30 days,'' he said during the broadcast, adding that that was just ''a dream.'' More like a nightmare. Time for "Plan B". Posted by: Steve 2003-06-20 |
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