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Bush pondering troops in Liberia
(CNN) -- The Bush administration continued to grapple Tuesday with how to support an international peacekeeping force to stop the civil war in Liberia. President Bush huddled with members of his national security team to discuss ways to help curb the intense fighting between the government of President Charles Taylor and rebel forces in violation of a June 17 cease-fire, a senior State Department official said. Bush is set to make a five-nation African trip this month that will not include Liberia. According to senior U.S. officials, the options for the United States range from logistical support for a multinational force, to a small contingent of U.S. troops, to thousands of U.S. troops. White House press secretary Ari Fleischer said the United States is "actively discussing and reviewing what next steps may or may not be" but did not rule out the possibility of committing U.S. troops. A senior State Department official said Secretary of State Colin Powell has been in almost daily contact with United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who appealed Saturday for the U.N. Security Council to send a multinational force to Liberia "to prevent a major humanitarian tragedy." (Full story) Annan said a member of the Security Council should lead the force, and African leaders have called for the United States to lead it because of its long ties to Liberia, a nation founded by freed American slaves in 1822. A group of monitors, called the Joint Verification Team, was to begin work in the country Tuesday in an attempt to separate the warring factions. Meanwhile, U.N. Security Council ambassadors and West African leaders were in Ghana trying to assemble a force of 5,000 troops to maintain the separation. Nations in the region are offering 3,000 troops to the force, with the rest to come from the United States, said officials involved in the discussions. One senior State Department official noted that while the United States has been active diplomatically in Africa, with some success, some problems are just too violent for a diplomatic solution. "There is the feeling if we are going to put so much attention to Africa, we have to solve these awful ethnic conflicts before hundreds more lives are lost," the official said. "We have seen the British go into Sierra Leone and the French in Congo, and now the question is, 'Is this something we should take on?' " Officials said the United States was working closely with members of the Economic Community of West African States on diplomatic efforts, particularly Ghana and Nigeria. Nigeria had been working with Taylor on a possible deal for him to take refuge in that country. Taylor wants assurances a U.N.-backed court that has indicted him on charges of perpetrating war crimes in neighboring Sierra Leone will not seek his extradition. One problem, however, is that Taylor has agreed to deals before, then backed out. Although Bush has called on Taylor to step down, the United States has not taken a position on the possible refuge deal, which could complicate efforts to hold Taylor responsible for war crimes. "We are looking to see how to address the questions of both peace and justice," another senior U.S. official said. "The goal is to stop the fighting and get him out of the country, but we want to deal with the question of accountability and the two are crashing together," this official said. U.S. Deputy Ambassador James Cunningham told the Security Council during a closed-door emergency session Monday the United States wanted three conditions met for further discussion about the nature of a peacekeeping force, The Associated Press reported. Cunningham said Washington would insist on Taylor giving up power, on a political agreement among the parties and international support for a peace process, according to diplomats speaking on condition of anonymity. The council decided to delay discussion until after the mission returns from the region and West African leaders meet over the weekend. Last week's sudden attempt by rebels to capture the seaside capital of Monrovia left hundreds of people dead before Taylor's forces battled the insurgents back beyond the city limits. Nevertheless, two rebel factions still control 60 percent of the country. (Full story) Civil war in Liberia killed 200,000 people from 1989 to 1996 before Taylor, a descendant of a freed slave family, emerged as the dominant faction leader, going on to win elections in 1997. The current insurgency has been going on three years, displacing more than 1 million people within the country. Murder, rape and robbery of civilians have been widespread. Neighboring countries have seen an influx of at least 300,000 Liberians, which has destabilized much of West Africa. In Monrovia, meanwhile, health workers are trying to deal with growing hunger and disease, particularly cholera. With the city's food supplies tied up in the port, where much of the fighting took place last week, rice, flour and other staples have tripled in price. Magnus Wolfe-Murray, spokesman for the medical relief agency Merlin, told CNN: "Some supplies are running short. There are enough medical supplies for the three organizations for two weeks. "However, there are no water supplies which means that water containers and pumps are running out. And other items, such as sheeting for shelters -- these have been ransacked from warehouses." The city has swelled to 1.5 million, with hundreds of thousands of refugees living in schoolyards, the national soccer stadium and the once grand Masonic temple. (Full story) CNN State Department Producer Elise Labott contributed to this story. Copyright 2003 CNN. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.
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