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CNN Live At Daybreak
Fierce Fighting in Liberian Capital
Aired July 22, 2003 - 06:34 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Let's talk about Liberia now. Many who live there are begging for America's help, but it is slow in coming, if at all. We've got pictures out of Liberia, but we want to caution you, they're very graphic pictures. It comes from outside of the U.S. Embassy.
The last word we have for you out of Liberia is that the shelling has stopped for now, but the government says 600 civilians are dead, many of the bodies laying in the streets stacked outside of the American embassy.
Let's go live to the White House now and senior White House correspondent John King.
John -- what will the president do?
JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, it has been nearly a month now since the president committed, at least in principal, to having a U.S. role in a peacekeeping operation in Liberia, but still no major U.S. troops on the ground. And, as you noted, the shelling has continued, even intensified in recent days.
The president did send in some U.S. Marines to help reinforce security at the embassy compound, but still no U.S. troops in a broad peacekeeping role. The Pentagon has moved some troops into position if the president gives the orders.
But Mr. Bush made clear yesterday at a news conference in Crawford, Texas, with the Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi that he believes Liberia's Western African neighbors must take the lead in any peacekeeping role.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We are working with ECOWAS to determine when they will be prepared to move in the peacekeeper troops that I have said we'd be willing to help move into Liberia. We're monitoring the situation very carefully.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: ECOWAS is an organization of Liberia's Western African neighbors. Mr. Bush says they must send in troops first. Then U.S. troops would be willing to participate. Exactly how that would work, Carol, is still the subject of negotiations.
And as all of that plays out, the administration is in touch with the Liberian rebel group, telling them to stop the indiscriminate shelling of the capital, including the U.S. Embassy compound, telling them if they want to be part of any future transitional government in Liberia they must back off and stop the violence so that the United States can get the Western African peacekeepers in and get President Charles Taylor to leave the country -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Well, that's certainly not happening yet. John King live from the White House this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
Aired July 22, 2003 - 06:34 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Let's talk about Liberia now. Many who live there are begging for America's help, but it is slow in coming, if at all. We've got pictures out of Liberia, but we want to caution you, they're very graphic pictures. It comes from outside of the U.S. Embassy.
The last word we have for you out of Liberia is that the shelling has stopped for now, but the government says 600 civilians are dead, many of the bodies laying in the streets stacked outside of the American embassy.
Let's go live to the White House now and senior White House correspondent John King.
John -- what will the president do?
JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, it has been nearly a month now since the president committed, at least in principal, to having a U.S. role in a peacekeeping operation in Liberia, but still no major U.S. troops on the ground. And, as you noted, the shelling has continued, even intensified in recent days.
The president did send in some U.S. Marines to help reinforce security at the embassy compound, but still no U.S. troops in a broad peacekeeping role. The Pentagon has moved some troops into position if the president gives the orders.
But Mr. Bush made clear yesterday at a news conference in Crawford, Texas, with the Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi that he believes Liberia's Western African neighbors must take the lead in any peacekeeping role.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We are working with ECOWAS to determine when they will be prepared to move in the peacekeeper troops that I have said we'd be willing to help move into Liberia. We're monitoring the situation very carefully.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: ECOWAS is an organization of Liberia's Western African neighbors. Mr. Bush says they must send in troops first. Then U.S. troops would be willing to participate. Exactly how that would work, Carol, is still the subject of negotiations.
And as all of that plays out, the administration is in touch with the Liberian rebel group, telling them to stop the indiscriminate shelling of the capital, including the U.S. Embassy compound, telling them if they want to be part of any future transitional government in Liberia they must back off and stop the violence so that the United States can get the Western African peacekeepers in and get President Charles Taylor to leave the country -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Well, that's certainly not happening yet. John King live from the White House this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
