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CNN Live At Daybreak

First Full Day in Liberia Without Taylor as President

Aired August 12, 2003 - 06:35   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: Taylor is gone; Blah is in. The next step: peace. The question: When?
Liberia has a new president, who is offering to share power with violent rebels and is pleading for international help.

Live to Liberia now and Gaven Morris.

Hello -- Gaven.

GAVEN MORRIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

We have important developments here this morning involving the U.S. Marines. What I can tell you is that very early on this morning two helicopters flew in to the U.S. Embassy compound here in Monrovia. The U.S. is obviously seeking to act very quickly after the departure of Charles Taylor last night.

Now, on board those helicopters, I understand, was the commander of the U.S. Marines. Now, at the moment, there are three U.S. warships based off the coast of Monrovia. Yesterday, they came in very close to the coast, and this commander is off those ships. The intention is with both the ships moving in and the commander coming on the ground here today is to move the U.S. process along, basically to say we are here to tell the Liberian people and also the LURD rebels that control the port at the moment that they're keeping a very close eye on things.

Now, my understanding is that sometime this morning that commander, along with the U.S. ambassador here, John Blaney, will head down towards the port, will try and have talks with the LURD rebels to formalize an agreement they've been working on for some time to try and free up that port.

Now, the situation is that is urgently -- it is urgent that that port is opened up, because the humanitarian situation on the ground here is getting grimmer by the moment. So, hopefully, some developments there as the day goes along, and if so, we'll bring those to you -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Yes, and this only means that they're checking things out for humanitarian efforts -- I mean, the U.S. commanders of those Marines, not that more peacekeepers -- U.S. peacekeepers will go into Liberia at this point.

MORRIS: That's exactly right. I mean, whenever there is talk from the Americans or the local people here see Americans, they think that it means Marines might be coming in, that they now really have support. The U.S. government is very much saying that no plans at the moment to send any large-scale force of Marines on the ground here. This is just preparatory work to try and get the humanitarian situation flowing -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Gaven Morris live from Monrovia, Liberia, 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 August 12, 2003 - 06:35   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Taylor is gone; Blah is in. The next step: peace. The question: When?
Liberia has a new president, who is offering to share power with violent rebels and is pleading for international help.

Live to Liberia now and Gaven Morris.

Hello -- Gaven.

GAVEN MORRIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

We have important developments here this morning involving the U.S. Marines. What I can tell you is that very early on this morning two helicopters flew in to the U.S. Embassy compound here in Monrovia. The U.S. is obviously seeking to act very quickly after the departure of Charles Taylor last night.

Now, on board those helicopters, I understand, was the commander of the U.S. Marines. Now, at the moment, there are three U.S. warships based off the coast of Monrovia. Yesterday, they came in very close to the coast, and this commander is off those ships. The intention is with both the ships moving in and the commander coming on the ground here today is to move the U.S. process along, basically to say we are here to tell the Liberian people and also the LURD rebels that control the port at the moment that they're keeping a very close eye on things.

Now, my understanding is that sometime this morning that commander, along with the U.S. ambassador here, John Blaney, will head down towards the port, will try and have talks with the LURD rebels to formalize an agreement they've been working on for some time to try and free up that port.

Now, the situation is that is urgently -- it is urgent that that port is opened up, because the humanitarian situation on the ground here is getting grimmer by the moment. So, hopefully, some developments there as the day goes along, and if so, we'll bring those to you -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Yes, and this only means that they're checking things out for humanitarian efforts -- I mean, the U.S. commanders of those Marines, not that more peacekeepers -- U.S. peacekeepers will go into Liberia at this point.

MORRIS: That's exactly right. I mean, whenever there is talk from the Americans or the local people here see Americans, they think that it means Marines might be coming in, that they now really have support. The U.S. government is very much saying that no plans at the moment to send any large-scale force of Marines on the ground here. This is just preparatory work to try and get the humanitarian situation flowing -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Gaven Morris live from Monrovia, Liberia, 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.