Speaking on the first day of a visit to Africa, President Bush said he would work with the United Nations and regional bloc ECOWAS on maintaining a cease-fire in the country which has been torn by nearly 14 years of civil war. "We're in the process of determining what is necessary to maintain the cease-fire," Bush told reporters after a meeting with West African leaders in Senegal. He also reiterated his demand that Taylor step down. Taylor said on Sunday he would accept an asylum offer from Nigeria but it was not clear how soon he would go.
| Anything but "immediately" doesn't work for us... |
Liberians want U.S. peacekeepers to help [stop] years of violence and believe that only they [U.S. forces] can win respect from the generation of young fighters nurtured on war and inured to atrocities.
| We're not magicians. It's taken ten or fifteen years to get to this state, it'll take ten or fifteen years to get out. |
Cheering crowds thronged the streets of Liberia's coastal capital shouting "We want Bush" as the American team drove through. At one point, police fired shots in the air to drive back the crowds.
| Chuck's coppers don't want Bush. In fact, he's the last thing they want... |
Many Liberians feel the United States has a duty to help because of links with a country founded by freed American slaves.
| That would be the case if they'd been sending us tribute for 175 years, if they'd subordinated their foreign policy to ours, modeled the working of their government on ours, and we'd had a governor-general there. But since they weren't a U.S. colony, they can think wishfully now. We have no obligation. Anything we do will be out of the goodness of our hearts and in accordance with our own national interest. |
Hundreds of people have been killed in fighting in the capital Monrovia over the last month, not far from the heavily fortified U.S. embassy where gun-toting U.S. Marines leapt out of helicopters in flak jackets and helmets on Monday.
| What'd Rooters expect them to tote? Cheese logs? Umbrellas? |
The U.S. survey team — 32-strong including its Marine security contingent — is seen as a possible precursor to a larger force, which the United States is considering.
"We do want Americans to come. When they arrive it means something good for the country. When the Americans lead the forces we believe that there will not be the creation of warring factions," said Ernest, a student.
| The reason they might come, Ernie, is because the warring factions are already there... |
The assessment team includes experts in water purification, preventive medicine, construction and logistics. In Washington, Defense Department spokesman Larry Di Rita told reporters on Monday that the military survey team had not been given a deadline to report on the security situation. |