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CNN Live Saturday
Liberian President Says He'll Call It Quits
Aired August 02, 2003 - 16:04 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.
FREDERICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Charles Taylor says he'll call it quits as president of Liberia on August 11, nine days from now. And in Washington, a senior White House official says President Bush has made it clear that Taylor has to leave.
Our Jeff Koinange is covering Liberia's civil war, and he joins us live from Monrovia with the very latest -- Jeff.
JEFF KOINANGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello there, Fredericka. It was typical Charles Taylor fashion. Setting the agenda right down to the final day. He set the date, as you said, Monday, August 11, and he set the time, exactly 11:55 a.m., because according to the liberian constitution, a new president has to be inaugurated or sworn in by noon on that day.
Now, Fredericka, this comes exactly six years and one week to the day Charles Taylor was inaugurated as Liberia's 21st president. All this will be welcome news for tens of thousands who have been suffering in the last few weeks, but the last 14 years of conflict in this country. This paves the way for peacekeepers who will be arriving on the ground in the next 48 hours, and thereafter, all incumbent upon the United States because President Bush did say that peacekeepers are on the ground, and Charles Taylor is out of office, then maybe, possibly, U.S. troops will be deployed on the ground to provide much-needed humanitarian relief to tens of thousands of suffering Liberians, Fredericka.
WHITFIELD: And Jeff, as a reminders, those U.S. peacekeepers would not be deployed until Taylor is officially out of office?
KOINAGE: Absolutely. And President Bush went further to say not just out of office, but out of the country. And we pressed President Taylor further to tell us when he would be leaving town. He said, basically in his own words, that's my secret, Fredericka.
WHITFIELD: All right. Jeff Koinange from Monrovia, thank you very 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 - 16:04 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDERICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Charles Taylor says he'll call it quits as president of Liberia on August 11, nine days from now. And in Washington, a senior White House official says President Bush has made it clear that Taylor has to leave.
Our Jeff Koinange is covering Liberia's civil war, and he joins us live from Monrovia with the very latest -- Jeff.
JEFF KOINANGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello there, Fredericka. It was typical Charles Taylor fashion. Setting the agenda right down to the final day. He set the date, as you said, Monday, August 11, and he set the time, exactly 11:55 a.m., because according to the liberian constitution, a new president has to be inaugurated or sworn in by noon on that day.
Now, Fredericka, this comes exactly six years and one week to the day Charles Taylor was inaugurated as Liberia's 21st president. All this will be welcome news for tens of thousands who have been suffering in the last few weeks, but the last 14 years of conflict in this country. This paves the way for peacekeepers who will be arriving on the ground in the next 48 hours, and thereafter, all incumbent upon the United States because President Bush did say that peacekeepers are on the ground, and Charles Taylor is out of office, then maybe, possibly, U.S. troops will be deployed on the ground to provide much-needed humanitarian relief to tens of thousands of suffering Liberians, Fredericka.
WHITFIELD: And Jeff, as a reminders, those U.S. peacekeepers would not be deployed until Taylor is officially out of office?
KOINAGE: Absolutely. And President Bush went further to say not just out of office, but out of the country. And we pressed President Taylor further to tell us when he would be leaving town. He said, basically in his own words, that's my secret, Fredericka.
WHITFIELD: All right. Jeff Koinange from Monrovia, thank you very 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
