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Liberia: Taylor May Rescind Promise to Yield Power
If it’s Tuesday, Chuck must be staying:
President Charles Taylor is reconsidering his pledge to cede power, seeing it as only encouraging rebel attacks, his spokesman said Tuesday. The president has been angered by the rebel capture of Buchanan, the nation’s second-largest city, on Monday. "We are of a different opinion now in the government about the validity of the overtures of the president to step down," spokesman Vaanii Paasawe said in Liberia, the capital.
Liberia's the capital? Of what?
The statement marked a change in tone by Taylor, who has repeatedly pledged to resign even though he then hedged or reneged outright on his promises. Most recently, he said he would step down once long-awaited peacekeepers arrive.
Yeh, but you didn’t believe him, did you?
A former warlord blamed for 14 years of near-constant conflict in Liberia, Taylor has said since early June he would yield power. He made his first offer to resign as rebels opened what have been two months of siege’s on Monrovia, Liberia’s capital. Rebels "read that as weakness," Paasawe said of Taylor’s promise to quit. "In fact, it has escalated the war."
Let’s see if I have this. Chuck sez he’s gonna leave and the rebels attack. That means that if Chuck stays, he shows that he is a strong leader, and the rebels respect that and stop. Makes perfect sense.

Guess it hasn't occurred to him that they don't believe he's going to keep his word and step down, so they've just decided to go ahead and kill him.

Posted by: Steve 2003-07-29
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=17052