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CNN Saturday Morning News
White House Has Not Made Case for Liberia
Aired August 02, 2003 - 08:00 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.
JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Senate Armed Services Committee chairman says the White House has not yet made the case for sending U.S. troops into Liberia. Senator John Warner says he doesn't have the facts to make an informed decision. Senator Warner commented after the Pentagon abruptly canceled a closed door briefing on Liberia.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: And speaking of Liberia, President Charles Taylor is back in the capital today, where West African officials are waiting to meet him. The delegation is there to discuss plans for Taylor's exile in Nigeria.
On the phone now from Monrovia is Jeff Koinange, CNN's Jeff Koinange, that is, giving us the very latest situation there -- hi, Jeff.
JEFF KOINANGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Heidi.
We are actually right inside the executive mansion, President Charles Taylor's official office, and he is inside. We can confirm we did see him this morning. He drove right past, walked right in, didn't say a word and he's waiting now for the West African leaders to come in, the foreign ministers who came in yesterday, hoping to pass this message along. The message basically is peacekeepers will be on the ground in the next 48 hours and also after that, President Taylor has to step down and leave the country three days later.
Fighting still continues overnight and into this morning along three key bridges in the capital, Monrovia, about three miles from where I'm standing right now. And also in the second port city of Buchanan, lots of heavy fighting overnight, as tens of thousands of displaced Liberians try to make their way out of the city and away from the fighting -- Heidi, it doesn't look like it's going to let up until the peacekeepers are physically on the ground.
COLLINS: Jeff, I'm wondering if you think that President Taylor will go peacefully? I know, as you say, he's got three days after the peacekeepers come in in about 48 hours or so. Will this be something that will take place smoothly?
KOINANGE: That's what everyone's hoping, Heidi, but there are, of course, those critics who say this is typical Charles Taylor. The foreign ministers came in Friday. He says he wasn't there to meet them. Now he says he will meet them this morning and there have been, there's been a two hour delay so far and someone said this is typical Taylor, up to his old tricks. Everyone is hoping that he is going to leave peacefully and with the bombardment that's happening around the capital, he has to leave or else it's not going to let up -- Heidi.
COLLINS: All right, we will wait to see how it all goes down.
CNN's Jeff Koinange, thanks so much.
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 August 2, 2003 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Senate Armed Services Committee chairman says the White House has not yet made the case for sending U.S. troops into Liberia. Senator John Warner says he doesn't have the facts to make an informed decision. Senator Warner commented after the Pentagon abruptly canceled a closed door briefing on Liberia.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: And speaking of Liberia, President Charles Taylor is back in the capital today, where West African officials are waiting to meet him. The delegation is there to discuss plans for Taylor's exile in Nigeria.
On the phone now from Monrovia is Jeff Koinange, CNN's Jeff Koinange, that is, giving us the very latest situation there -- hi, Jeff.
JEFF KOINANGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Heidi.
We are actually right inside the executive mansion, President Charles Taylor's official office, and he is inside. We can confirm we did see him this morning. He drove right past, walked right in, didn't say a word and he's waiting now for the West African leaders to come in, the foreign ministers who came in yesterday, hoping to pass this message along. The message basically is peacekeepers will be on the ground in the next 48 hours and also after that, President Taylor has to step down and leave the country three days later.
Fighting still continues overnight and into this morning along three key bridges in the capital, Monrovia, about three miles from where I'm standing right now. And also in the second port city of Buchanan, lots of heavy fighting overnight, as tens of thousands of displaced Liberians try to make their way out of the city and away from the fighting -- Heidi, it doesn't look like it's going to let up until the peacekeepers are physically on the ground.
COLLINS: Jeff, I'm wondering if you think that President Taylor will go peacefully? I know, as you say, he's got three days after the peacekeepers come in in about 48 hours or so. Will this be something that will take place smoothly?
KOINANGE: That's what everyone's hoping, Heidi, but there are, of course, those critics who say this is typical Charles Taylor. The foreign ministers came in Friday. He says he wasn't there to meet them. Now he says he will meet them this morning and there have been, there's been a two hour delay so far and someone said this is typical Taylor, up to his old tricks. Everyone is hoping that he is going to leave peacefully and with the bombardment that's happening around the capital, he has to leave or else it's not going to let up -- Heidi.
COLLINS: All right, we will wait to see how it all goes down.
CNN's Jeff Koinange, thanks so much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
