liberian president to take asilum in nigeria

[Don Rizzle]

Liberian leader agrees to leave
 
 
Obasanjo says Nigeria must not be harassed for making the offer
Liberian President Charles Taylor said on Sunday that he had accepted an offer of asylum from Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, although he gave no indication of when he would leave.
The announcement came shortly after the Nigerian president arrived in the Liberian capital Monrovia to discuss the offer.

Mr Taylor, who has been under pressure from the United States to leave, said that he wanted to ensure that his departure would occur in an orderly fashion, without bloodshed.

The BBC's correspondent in Liberia, Mark Doyle, said the fact that Mr Taylor will be allowed to choose the time of his departure was significant - the US has been demanding that the president, who is wanted for war crimes, leave immediately.

CHARLES TAYLOR
 
Indicted on war crimes charges
Under UN sanctions
Former warlord
Won 1997 elections


Profile: Charles Taylor
Aid worker's diary  

Mr Taylor says he will only step down after a US-led peacekeeping force is in place in Liberia.

"We believe that it is not unreasonable to request that there be an orderly exit from power," Mr Taylor said at a joint press conference with the Nigerian leader.

This view was echoed by Mr Obasanjo who said emphatically that he would not allow his country to be "harassed" over the decision to invite Mr Taylor to Nigeria.

The United Nations is in principle opposed to the exile option because it would mean Mr Taylor avoiding prosecution at the UN-backed war crimes tribunal in neighbouring Sierra Leone, where, according to the UN, Mr Taylor supported rebels responsible for widespread atrocities.

Humanitarian crisis

The people of Liberia have been suffering the effects of a bitter civil war. Tens of thousands of people have been displaced since fighting broke out between government troops and rebels, and aid agencies have warned of a humanitarian crisis.

The World Health Organisation has made an urgent appeal for funds and supplies to tackle a serious outbreak of cholera and other diseases among the 200,000 people living rough.


Liberians are desperate for an end to over a decade of conflict


In pictures
 

On Friday, the West African regional body, Ecowas, agrees to provide 3,000 troops for a peacekeeping force in Liberia.

Washington has sent a fact-finding mission to Liberia, but says no decision has been made yet on troop deployment.

Talks between the government and rebels groups continue in neighbouring Ghana, with mediators setting a target of 15 July for a transitional government.

The BBC's Mark Doyle in the Liberian capital, Monrovia, says that some West African leaders think allowing Mr Taylor to go into exile is the best way of avoiding a devastating battle for the city.

Our correspondent says that already there are hundreds of thousands of war displaced people crammed into the capital, and rebel forces are just a shot distance away.

Our correspondent says it is a dangerous stalemate and everyone is waiting to see what the Americans or the rebels at the gates of the city will do, if it continues.

 

bbc