| Submit your comments on this article |
| East/Subsaharan Africa |
| Bush may send 500-1,000 troops to Liberia |
| 2003-07-03 |
| President Bush could announce later this week that he is sending 500 to 1,000 peacekeeping troops to Liberia, two senior officials told CNN. Bad Move George W - Put in a toe - the whole foot gets stuck there!! Facing mounting international pressure to have the United States lead a Liberia mission that also would include West African peacekeepers, Bush discussed such a deployment Wednesday. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and others have talked of a U.S. deployment of 2,000 troops, but U.S. officials told CNN any deployment would be no more than half that. Of course - volunteer the US - Sometimes we don't like what we wished for - we may actually accomplish something in spite of the UN lapdogs! The officials said the timing of the announcement could be slowed by efforts to get Liberian President Charles Taylor, who faces war crimes charges by a U.N. court in neighboring Sierra Leone, to step down and leave the war-torn country. The White House official line is that Taylor should leave now and face a war crimes trial later. But Bush used different language Wednesday regarding Taylor, saying simply that he should leave the country. Secretary of State Powell has been arguing in favor of a U.S. commitment, sources said -- citing recent peacekeeping commitments by France in the Ivory Coast and Great Britain in Sierra Leone. I say let the French handle it then - the Brits are busy with us in Iraq! |
| Posted by:Fiddler |