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CNN Live At Daybreak

State Department Eases Travel Warning for Liberia

Aired October 01, 2003 - 05:37   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: It's safe to go to Liberia now, sort of. The State Department has eased its travel warning for the West African nation, but Americans are being advised against non-essential travel to Liberia. And those who do go are told to avoid the interior of the country. Authorities say the situation in the war torn nation is unpredictable.
And the easing of travel restrictions comes as the last of the U.S. forces pull away from the Liberian coast.

Our Jeff Koinange joins us live by video phone from Monrovia with the latest -- good morning.

JEFF KOINANGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

We can tell you, just as we were landing late last night, the last of the U.S. troops were actually heading out into the African skies. But, Carol, what a difference six weeks makes. In those six weeks that the U.S. forces have been on the ground, calm has been restored. There's a sense of security. Liberians are walking about the towns, feeling free, feeling they could do just about whatever they want because there is no rebel inversion, no rebel threat. They feel that the Americans made the difference in those three weeks, just the mere presence of those troops on the ground definitely made a difference.

And they regret the fact that the mission has actually ended so soon. They thought the Americans were going to be around a little longer. But the fact that they did complete that six weeks, the Americans insist the mission was for six weeks and they're pulling out and there will be a new mission beginning today -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Oh, Jeff, it's so good to hear that the U.S. military has made a difference. And there weren't that many soldiers involved, only 200. Now that they're going, what effect will that have?

KOINANGE: Well, here's the deal. Today, October 1, the United Nations mission kicks in. What this means, now basically the West African peacekeepers, the Nigerians, Ghanaian and Senegalese who have been on the ground, about 3,500 of them, what they're going to do is take off their berets and put on the blue hats, the traditional United Nations blue hats, and a new mission calling itself UNMIL, United Nations Mission in Liberia. That'll kick off as of today.

Now, as you well know, the United Nations special representative, Jacques Klein, he requested 15,000 troops. There are 3,500 on the ground. The remaining 1,200 and change will be coming in the coming days and the coming weeks. Those will be spread throughout the entire country, bringing a safer security feeling to the people, not just in the capital, Monrovia, but all over this what was a very troubled nation -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Oh, yes, good to hear it.

Jeff Koinange reporting live from Monrovia 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 October 1, 2003 - 05:37   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: It's safe to go to Liberia now, sort of. The State Department has eased its travel warning for the West African nation, but Americans are being advised against non-essential travel to Liberia. And those who do go are told to avoid the interior of the country. Authorities say the situation in the war torn nation is unpredictable.
And the easing of travel restrictions comes as the last of the U.S. forces pull away from the Liberian coast.

Our Jeff Koinange joins us live by video phone from Monrovia with the latest -- good morning.

JEFF KOINANGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

We can tell you, just as we were landing late last night, the last of the U.S. troops were actually heading out into the African skies. But, Carol, what a difference six weeks makes. In those six weeks that the U.S. forces have been on the ground, calm has been restored. There's a sense of security. Liberians are walking about the towns, feeling free, feeling they could do just about whatever they want because there is no rebel inversion, no rebel threat. They feel that the Americans made the difference in those three weeks, just the mere presence of those troops on the ground definitely made a difference.

And they regret the fact that the mission has actually ended so soon. They thought the Americans were going to be around a little longer. But the fact that they did complete that six weeks, the Americans insist the mission was for six weeks and they're pulling out and there will be a new mission beginning today -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Oh, Jeff, it's so good to hear that the U.S. military has made a difference. And there weren't that many soldiers involved, only 200. Now that they're going, what effect will that have?

KOINANGE: Well, here's the deal. Today, October 1, the United Nations mission kicks in. What this means, now basically the West African peacekeepers, the Nigerians, Ghanaian and Senegalese who have been on the ground, about 3,500 of them, what they're going to do is take off their berets and put on the blue hats, the traditional United Nations blue hats, and a new mission calling itself UNMIL, United Nations Mission in Liberia. That'll kick off as of today.

Now, as you well know, the United Nations special representative, Jacques Klein, he requested 15,000 troops. There are 3,500 on the ground. The remaining 1,200 and change will be coming in the coming days and the coming weeks. Those will be spread throughout the entire country, bringing a safer security feeling to the people, not just in the capital, Monrovia, but all over this what was a very troubled nation -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Oh, yes, good to hear it.

Jeff Koinange reporting live from Monrovia 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