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CNN Live Saturday
Bush May Commit Ground Troops to Liberia
Aired July 26, 2003 - 16:06 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.
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN ANCHOR: In war-torn Liberia, mortar fire again rained down today on civilians. At least seven refugees were killed as they sought shelter in a Monrovia church. But help may be on the way. Let's go live now to CNN's White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux -- Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Andrea, President Bush is responding to both international and domestic pressure to try to help with that cease-fire in Liberia. It was just yesterday that President Bush authorized sending U.S. troops to position themselves off the coast of Liberia. That is to provide aid and support to the West African nations who are leading a peacekeeping mission.
Now, right now there are three ships, U.S. ships that are steaming toward Liberia, and President Bush has yet to commit boots on the ground. Here's how the White House hopes this goes. The plan is that these West African peacekeepers would stabilize the region, U.S. forces would provide logistics, support, communications, already committing a $10 million package to that effort. And then, of course, Liberia's Charles Taylor would have to step down and leave the country. If all of those conditions are met, then the possibility is that the president and the Pentagon would sign off on sending U.S. troops.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Our commitment is to enable ECOWAS to go in, and the Pentagon will make it clear over time what that means.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Andrea, it's estimated that those ships will not arrive until at least a week or so, that it's going to take about seven days to get to the coast of Liberia. That, of course, quite a bit of criticism from those -- attracting criticism, saying that that is simply too late.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MAXINE WATERS (D), CALIFORNIA: Seven or eight days could be thousands of more people dead. We appreciate that the president is finally saying something about what he's willing to do in Liberia. But we warrant that it's not enough.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: So U.N. officials today are saying that it could be as early as this week that Nigerian battalions, at least two, would be ready to go ahead and go into Liberia. Also we understand on Monday that the president is going to be meeting with the National Urban League in Pittsburgh. That's where he's going to be facing some of those critics who say that, yes, the U.S. should play a much bigger, stronger role, a much more immediate role in Liberia -- Andrea.
KOPPEL: And we also understand that the Nigerians are going to be meeting on Monday with some other West African governments to decide just when they'll start deploying.
Suzanne Malveaux at the White House, 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 July 26, 2003 - 16:06 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN ANCHOR: In war-torn Liberia, mortar fire again rained down today on civilians. At least seven refugees were killed as they sought shelter in a Monrovia church. But help may be on the way. Let's go live now to CNN's White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux -- Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Andrea, President Bush is responding to both international and domestic pressure to try to help with that cease-fire in Liberia. It was just yesterday that President Bush authorized sending U.S. troops to position themselves off the coast of Liberia. That is to provide aid and support to the West African nations who are leading a peacekeeping mission.
Now, right now there are three ships, U.S. ships that are steaming toward Liberia, and President Bush has yet to commit boots on the ground. Here's how the White House hopes this goes. The plan is that these West African peacekeepers would stabilize the region, U.S. forces would provide logistics, support, communications, already committing a $10 million package to that effort. And then, of course, Liberia's Charles Taylor would have to step down and leave the country. If all of those conditions are met, then the possibility is that the president and the Pentagon would sign off on sending U.S. troops.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Our commitment is to enable ECOWAS to go in, and the Pentagon will make it clear over time what that means.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Andrea, it's estimated that those ships will not arrive until at least a week or so, that it's going to take about seven days to get to the coast of Liberia. That, of course, quite a bit of criticism from those -- attracting criticism, saying that that is simply too late.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MAXINE WATERS (D), CALIFORNIA: Seven or eight days could be thousands of more people dead. We appreciate that the president is finally saying something about what he's willing to do in Liberia. But we warrant that it's not enough.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: So U.N. officials today are saying that it could be as early as this week that Nigerian battalions, at least two, would be ready to go ahead and go into Liberia. Also we understand on Monday that the president is going to be meeting with the National Urban League in Pittsburgh. That's where he's going to be facing some of those critics who say that, yes, the U.S. should play a much bigger, stronger role, a much more immediate role in Liberia -- Andrea.
KOPPEL: And we also understand that the Nigerians are going to be meeting on Monday with some other West African governments to decide just when they'll start deploying.
Suzanne Malveaux at the White House, 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
