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CNN LIVE AT DAYBREAK

U.S. Troops to Liberia?

Aired July 3, 2003 - 06:02   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Nine nations. Why not 10? President Bush is mulling a decision to send troops on a peacekeeping mission to Liberia. Senior U.S. officials say a decision on whether to send up to 1,000 U.S. troops to the West African nation could come this week. Liberia has been racked by months of fighting between forces loyal to the country's president, Charles Taylor, and rebel groups trying to oust him.
President Bush has a simple but blunt message for Taylor.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: One thing has to happen. Mr. Taylor needs to leave the country, and Colin has made that -- I made it clear publicly, I've just made it clear again, he made it clear to Kofi Annan. In order for there to be peace and stability in Liberia, Charles Taylor needs to leave now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: He's not going to, though. But the mere hint that maybe the U.S. will send troops sent many Liberians into the streets, and they were cheering because they feel so desperate.

Live on the phone now, RTV reporter David Clark. He's in Monrovia, Liberia -- that's the capital.

Dave -- bring us up-to-date.

DAVE CLARK, RTV REPORTER: Well, today, the capital is a little bit more on edge. The problem about the statements yesterday were that on the one hand America said they were ready to send troops, and on the other hand President Bush sort of upped the ante a bit, saying President Taylor must leave the country.

Now, this puts the Liberians in Monrovia in a difficult position. They want peace, they want the Americans to come, but on the other hand a lot of people still support Taylor and would not like to see him being forced out.

COSTELLO: And Charles Taylor isn't going to easily step down, is he?

CLARK: Well, Charles Taylor since he is -- well, he is a democratically-elected leader. He's been battling rebel forces for the last three or four years. He has six indictments from the U.N. War Crimes Court hanging over his head. He feels that is a political indictment, and he feels that the charges should be dropped.

So, basically we have an impasse, if you like, in that President Taylor wants the charges to be dropped before he will consider stepping aside, which he has said he will do in the past. And on the other hand, President Bush is hardening his stand by saying he must leave the country.

COSTELLO: Can you give us a little history about how many people have died during this civil war in Liberia?

CLARK: It's very hard to tell how many people have died in this civil war. I mean, the fighting has been going on since -- well, the first sort of fighting started in 1999, and then from 2000 it was a more cohesive rebel group called LURD. I mean, a lot of the fighting has gone on in the bush, places which have not been accessible to people. I mean, rebels control nearly two-thirds of the country.

What we can say is in the last month the rebels have attacked the capital twice using heavy mortars. They struck into the suburbs, and a lot of civilians have been caught in the crossfire. In the first attack, estimates put it at about 300 civilians. The second attack about the same number, perhaps more, and thousands injured hit by shrapnel, by gunshot wounds.

So, the residents of Monrovia have been really suffering from the fighting. They're traumatized and they want the fighting to stop, whatever it takes.

COSTELLO: Dave Clark, thanks for that live report from Monrovia, Liberia, this morning.

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