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CNN Live Today
Peacekeepers Arrive in Liberia; Taylor Refuses to Leave Country
Aired August 04, 2003 - 10:03 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.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Want to go right from the White House to Liberia and Monrovia. And that's where our Jeff Koinange is standing by with the latest on the arrival of these west African peacekeepers and the latest on plans for President Charles Taylor. Jeff, hello.
JEFF KOINANGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello there, Daryn. And we are here at Roberts International Airport where the apron (ph) is getting pretty full behind me, full of U.N. cargo planes, U.N. helicopters and, of course, west African peacekeepers who've been arriving all morning. Several dozen so far, expecting about 300 by the end of today, several hundred more by the end of the week.
Now they quickly got off the helicopters and secured the perimeter of the airport. In fact, I was standing barely ten feet from one of the soldiers and asked I him, basically, What's your mission? He say, To bring peace to this war-ravaged country.
That's exactly what Liberians are looking for. In fact, several hundred turned up here in the rain, in the wind on this rainy Monday morning. Despite that, it didn't dampen any spirits. They are here to welcome the peacekeepers because this country has been at war, Daryn, for not just the last few months but the last 14 years.
Now the soldiers as soon as they get their equipment, APCs, trucks, heavy weaponry, they will slowly make a convoy, their way into the city, 40 miles from here and see what they will find because as of late Sunday, there was still heavy fighting between government troops and rebel forces -- although both do say they will put down their arms, they will cease firing. That still remains to be seen. The rebels and government both want to see the peacekeepers physically for themselves before they do what they said they will do -- Daryn..
KAGAN: And, Jeff, what about President Charles Taylor? He's talking about leaving office but not leaving the country. That could still add up to some more trouble for Liberia.
KOINANGE: Absolutely. And as one government official was saying, it's typical Taylor fashion, he wants to write the script to the very end. Nobody's going to write the last chapter for him. In fact, they were saying, there's going to be a postscript to this. President Taylor will set the agenda. In three days time the national legislature will meet. On Monday the 11th, exactly 11:59 in morning he steps down.
And we did press him on when he was going to leave the country. He says he's not going to tell us. He will leave when he's ready. So that leaves a lot of doubt in people's minds, but as long as he's going to step down that's the first step to securing peace in this war-ravaged nation -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Jeff Koinange in Monrovia, Liberia. Thank you for that report.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
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Aired August 4, 2003 - 10:03 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Want to go right from the White House to Liberia and Monrovia. And that's where our Jeff Koinange is standing by with the latest on the arrival of these west African peacekeepers and the latest on plans for President Charles Taylor. Jeff, hello.
JEFF KOINANGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello there, Daryn. And we are here at Roberts International Airport where the apron (ph) is getting pretty full behind me, full of U.N. cargo planes, U.N. helicopters and, of course, west African peacekeepers who've been arriving all morning. Several dozen so far, expecting about 300 by the end of today, several hundred more by the end of the week.
Now they quickly got off the helicopters and secured the perimeter of the airport. In fact, I was standing barely ten feet from one of the soldiers and asked I him, basically, What's your mission? He say, To bring peace to this war-ravaged country.
That's exactly what Liberians are looking for. In fact, several hundred turned up here in the rain, in the wind on this rainy Monday morning. Despite that, it didn't dampen any spirits. They are here to welcome the peacekeepers because this country has been at war, Daryn, for not just the last few months but the last 14 years.
Now the soldiers as soon as they get their equipment, APCs, trucks, heavy weaponry, they will slowly make a convoy, their way into the city, 40 miles from here and see what they will find because as of late Sunday, there was still heavy fighting between government troops and rebel forces -- although both do say they will put down their arms, they will cease firing. That still remains to be seen. The rebels and government both want to see the peacekeepers physically for themselves before they do what they said they will do -- Daryn..
KAGAN: And, Jeff, what about President Charles Taylor? He's talking about leaving office but not leaving the country. That could still add up to some more trouble for Liberia.
KOINANGE: Absolutely. And as one government official was saying, it's typical Taylor fashion, he wants to write the script to the very end. Nobody's going to write the last chapter for him. In fact, they were saying, there's going to be a postscript to this. President Taylor will set the agenda. In three days time the national legislature will meet. On Monday the 11th, exactly 11:59 in morning he steps down.
And we did press him on when he was going to leave the country. He says he's not going to tell us. He will leave when he's ready. So that leaves a lot of doubt in people's minds, but as long as he's going to step down that's the first step to securing peace in this war-ravaged nation -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Jeff Koinange in Monrovia, Liberia. Thank you for that report.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
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