Pat Robertson Defends Liberian President
By SONJA BARISIC
Associated Press Writer

July 10, 2003, 1:28 PM EDT

NORFOLK, Va. -- Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson accused President
Bush of "undermining a Christian, Baptist president to bring in Muslim
rebels" by asking Liberian President Charles Taylor, recently indicted
for war crimes, to step down.

"How dare the president of the United States say to the duly elected
president of another country, 'You've got to step down,'" Robertson said
Monday on "The 700 Club," broadcast from his Christian Broadcasting
Network.

"It's one thing to say, we will give you money if you step down and we
will give you troops if you step down, but just to order him to step
down? He doesn't work for us."

Robertson, a Bush supporter who has financial interests in Liberia, said
he believes the State Department has "mismanaged the situation in nation
after nation after nation" in Africa.

"So we're undermining a Christian, Baptist president to bring in Muslim
rebels to take over the country," he said in the broadcast.

Robertson told The Washington Post in an interview published Thursday
that he has "written off in my own mind" an $8 million investment in a
Liberian gold mining venture he made four years ago, under an agreement
with Taylor's government.

"Once the dust has cleared on this thing, chances are there will be some
investors from someplace who want to invest. If I could find some people
to sell it to, I'd be more than delighted," he said in the article.

He said his investment was intended to help pay for humanitarian and
evangelical efforts in Liberia.

Angell Watts, a spokeswoman for Robertson, said Robertson was not
available to comment Thursday because he was traveling. She also
declined to comment.

Taylor waged war for seven years as a rebel leader before being elected
president in 1997.

The United States faces mounting international pressure to send in
troops to lead a peacekeeping force to enforce a June 17 cease-fire
between forces loyal to Taylor and to rebels rebels fighting for three
years to oust him.

Bush, speaking Wednesday in South Africa, promised to help enforce the
often-violated cease-fire, and "see to it that Mr. Taylor leaves office
so there can be a peaceful transition in Liberia."

On Sunday, Taylor accepted an offer of asylum from Nigeria, but on
condition that an international force is deployed in Liberia.

A U.N.-backed tribunal indicted Taylor on June 4 for war crimes in
neighboring Sierra Leone.

Robertson told the Post that the war crimes indictment "is nonsense and
should be quashed."

He said Taylor has "become such a lightning rod" that he should leave
office, but in an orderly transition accompanied by the insertion of
U.S. peacekeepers.

"Frankly, the president's call for Taylor to step down immediately is
not wise, because if Taylor leaves immediately, the country will descend
into chaos," he told the paper.

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