The saga of President Charles G. Taylor's long-awaited departure took another turn today as arriving West African diplomats were met not by the president, but by a swirl of contradictory and unverifiable reports of his whereabouts, and fresh clashes dashing the calm of the day before.
| "He can't see you. He's... ummm... washing his hair." |
Officials from the Economic Community of West African States, or Ecowas, as the regional bloc is known, came here today to discuss the details of that deployment and lay the groundwork for Mr. Taylor's safe passage out of the country. Officials of the bloc said on Thursday that 1,500 Nigerian soldiers would arrive on Monday and that Mr. Taylor should leave within three days after that.
| Chuck doesn't want to hear that... |
This afternoon they said they had been told that the president was in the southeastern port city of Buchanan, where government and rebel forces clashed earlier this week. Later there were reports that he had not left the capital, that he might have been in his official residence the whole time and that he was annoyed that proper protocol had not been followed to inform him of the official visit. There was no response from the president or his aides about the three-day deadline.
| He was miffed that nobody was fawning... |
As diplomatic procedures were being considered, mortars pounded the heavily populated diplomatic quarter of the capital once again after a brief respite on Thursday. Downtown Monrovia was deserted again by midday, and the capital once again became a city of dread. This was the 14th day of a blistering assault on the capital by the rebel Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy. At least 12 civilians were killed in the fighting today, The Associated Press reported.
| Wonder if Chuck'll be in his official residence when they come to call? |
The executive secretary of Ecowas, Mohamed Ibn Chambas, took pains to point out that Mr. Taylor's representatives in peace talks in nearby Ghana were fully aware of the delegation's visit. Asked whether he believed that Mr. Taylor was in Buchanan, as a presidential aide had said, Mr. Chambas turned up his palms, shrugged and smiled, saying nothing. The delegation, which included cabinet ministers from Ghana, Nigeria and Togo, stayed at a hotel not far from Mr. Taylor's office and said they planned to meet him in the morning. "He will not refuse to meet with us," Mr. Chambas said. "We will wait." |