GOOD RIDDANCE TO CHARLES TAILOR. LET HIM NOW FACE THE
MUSIC.HE SHOULD PAY FOR THE ATTROCITIES HE CAUSED IN
THE REGION.
--- Felix Ossia <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Liberian foes sign ceasefire
> Liberia's government and rebel groups have signed a
> ceasefire agreement
> at talks in Ghana, and now have 30 days to come up
> with a full peace
> agreement.
> Liberia's President Charles Taylor - indicted as a
> war crimes suspect -
> will have to step down under the peace accord while
> an interim
> administration takes over.
>
> Mediators hope that the agreement - signed in the
> Ghanaian capital Accra
> - will pave the way for the deployment of a
> peacekeeping force as well
> as the full-scale peace deal.
>
> Stability in Liberia is vital to its neighbours,
> like Sierra Leone and
> Ivory Coast, which have also found themselves caught
> up in the fighting
> in recent years.
>
> Rebels, who control two-thirds of the country, had
> demanded that
> President Charles Taylor step down within 30 days,
> as a condition of any
> settlement.
>
> Critics say the departure of Charles Taylor may lead
> to greater peace
> and prosperity, and allow West Africa as a whole to
> concentrate on
> economic development, rather than solving conflicts.
>
>
> CHARLES TAYLOR
> Indicted on war crimes charges
> Under UN sanctions
> Former warlord
> Won 1997 elections
>
>
> Mr Taylor, who has been indicted for war crimes by a
> United
> Nations-backed tribunal in Sierra Leone, has said
> before he is prepared
> to resign at the end of his term next year.
>
> Defence Minister Daniel Chea signed the ceasefire
> accord on behalf of
> the government, while Kabineh Janet and Tia Slanger
> signed on behalf of
> the rebels, the Associated Press news agency
> reported.
>
> The three men shook hands to cheers and applause
> from the delegates.
>
> In Liberia, news of the cease-fire had residents
> running into the
> streets of the capital, Monrovia, to celebrate.
>
> Cars, white rags tied to their antennas in symbols
> of peace, drove
> through roads honking. Shoppers burst into dancing
> at one roadside
> market, AP reported.
>
> The European Union urged President Taylor to
> cooperate with the war
> crimes tribunal, which announced his indictment on 4
> June.
>
> Forces 'still fighting'
>
> The BBC's Paul Welsh, in Monrovia, says the 30-day
> deadline for a full
> and comprehensive peace agreement is no small task
> when just getting a
> truce has taken two weeks.
>
> The truce is to be monitored by the Organisation of
> West African States,
> who will also look into the size of the
> peace-keeping force which will
> be needed here in the months to come.
>
> As the ceasefire was being signed in Ghana, our
> correspondent was in the
> bush with Liberia's chief of security, north of the
> capital, Monrovia.
>
> He said heavy fighting was going on with the rebel
> group Liberians
> United for Reconciliation and Democracy near to the
> border with Sierra
> Leone.
>
> There is also said to be fighting going on in the
> east of the country
> between the government and the other rebel group,
> Movement for Democracy
> in Liberia.
>
> The challenge for the commanders now is to get the
> message to their men
> on the ground that the fighting is to stop to allow
> the more difficult
> job of talking this country into a state of peace,
> our correspondent
> adds.
>
> Living in fear
>
> Meanwhile, Nigeria has begun to evacuate some 6,000
> civilians from
> Monrovia. Ghana has already begun moving some 1,500
> of its citizens back
> home.
>
>
> Liberia's Government has urged the people of
> Monrovia to return to life
> as normal following last week's battle between the
> army and rebels.
> The government is back in control of the capital and
> some shops and
> businesses have re-opened, but residents still fear
> a renewed rebel
> attack, our correspondent says.
>
> Tens of thousands of people are still living rough
> in the city, afraid
> to return to their homes.
>
> The schools the president wants re-opened are
> temporary homes to
> thousands of people.
>
>
> Story from BBC NEWS:
>
>
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