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Liberians Enthusiastically Welcome U.S. Military Surveyors

Aired July 09, 2003 - 14:30   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.


KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush says the United States will, quote, "be involved in helping war-torn Liberia achieve peace." But how involved he didn't exactly say. Still no comment for a peace keeping effort, although a U.S. military team is already there assessing the humanitarian and security situation. CNN's Brent Sadler is in the Liberian capital of Monrovia with the latest -- Brent.
BRENT SADLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thanks, Kyra. Well judging by the scenes over the past 48 hours you would think President Bush indeed had made a statement to commit troop hears. Of course he has not.

That has not stopped rising anticipation among tens of thousands of Liberian who have been turning out from their shanty towns and refugee camps and to welcome a specialist team of U.S. military surveyors here to find out what the humanitarian needs of this nation ruined by war, in fact, are.

Again, it happened at the airport in Monrovia earlier today when many, many more Liberians came out to watch as the military assessors looked to the facilities at the airport to see what sort of use it could be in terms of bolstering humanitarian support backed up by the military should President Bush decide to get involved on the ground here in this west African nation.

Now, what does all this mean for President Charles Taylor under pressure from Mr. Bush to quit office as Liberia's leader? Mr. Taylor is aware now that ECOWAS, the block of west African nations, have agreed that they will commit about a thousand, 1,500 troops, the first definite peacekeeping force here over the next ten to 14 days. It is to that force that the U.S. could attach troops at a later stage if Mr. Bush gives that go ahead.

That, of course, is dependent on many factors, not least the security situation on the ground and whether or not that west African force can make a difference here. Mr. Taylor says if it can make a difference, then company be prepared to go under those circumstances without U.S. troops, necessarily being on the ground.

As far as the future, possible future, of U.S. forces here, Mr. Taylor said this was not going to be in any way another Somalia if U.S. troops were to come here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHARLES TAYLOR, PRESIDENT OF LIBERIA: In fact, we will feel insulted if we were to be slightly compared with Somalia. Everything here is American. Everything. Everything. We are educated in America. I have cousins, I have nephews in the United States Marines, the Air Force, the Army. Everywhere. They are hundreds, in fact, maybe thousands of Liberians in your armed services all over the place. I have my nephews in your Marines and everything.

We can never be anti-America. Never. So Somalia, don't even mention it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SADLER: Still no troop commitment from President Bush but the U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan says he expects American to make the right decision and to grant support to Liberia -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Brent, you had an exclusive interview. You were ale to sit down with the president. There's been so much talk, Charles Taylor said he would leave, says he would step down. What are the people saying? This is still a man being accused of war crimes and treating his people cruelly. What's the sense on the streets for how -- how he'll comply with U.S. peace keepers?

SADLER: Well, first of all, Kyra, Mr. Taylor is trying to dodge that war crimes indictment. He's looking for asylum already offered in Nigeria. The Nigerian president said Mr. Taylor would not be handed over to the court in Sierra Leone if and when Mr. Taylor does go to Nigeria.

Mr. Taylor is certainly a very cool customer, very articulate, very measured in what he was telling me in that exclusive interview. He is saying he won't leave this country in chaos even though he's accused of helping ferment chaos in this country and beyond Liberia's own borders in the neighboring states of the Ivory Coast and Sierra Leone.

So Mr. Taylor very much under pressure but certainly he and his Nigerian counterpart they say are not going to be harassed into making the wrong decision. And of course, it's anybody's guess as to whether or not Mr. Taylor, once those west African troops get on the ground, perhaps they will be bolstered by others, perhaps by the United States, still remains to be seen if and when Mr. Taylor will actually go.

PHILLIPS: Our Brent Sadler, live from Liberia. Thank you.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com




Surveyors>


Aired July 9, 2003 - 14:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush says the United States will, quote, "be involved in helping war-torn Liberia achieve peace." But how involved he didn't exactly say. Still no comment for a peace keeping effort, although a U.S. military team is already there assessing the humanitarian and security situation. CNN's Brent Sadler is in the Liberian capital of Monrovia with the latest -- Brent.
BRENT SADLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thanks, Kyra. Well judging by the scenes over the past 48 hours you would think President Bush indeed had made a statement to commit troop hears. Of course he has not.

That has not stopped rising anticipation among tens of thousands of Liberian who have been turning out from their shanty towns and refugee camps and to welcome a specialist team of U.S. military surveyors here to find out what the humanitarian needs of this nation ruined by war, in fact, are.

Again, it happened at the airport in Monrovia earlier today when many, many more Liberians came out to watch as the military assessors looked to the facilities at the airport to see what sort of use it could be in terms of bolstering humanitarian support backed up by the military should President Bush decide to get involved on the ground here in this west African nation.

Now, what does all this mean for President Charles Taylor under pressure from Mr. Bush to quit office as Liberia's leader? Mr. Taylor is aware now that ECOWAS, the block of west African nations, have agreed that they will commit about a thousand, 1,500 troops, the first definite peacekeeping force here over the next ten to 14 days. It is to that force that the U.S. could attach troops at a later stage if Mr. Bush gives that go ahead.

That, of course, is dependent on many factors, not least the security situation on the ground and whether or not that west African force can make a difference here. Mr. Taylor says if it can make a difference, then company be prepared to go under those circumstances without U.S. troops, necessarily being on the ground.

As far as the future, possible future, of U.S. forces here, Mr. Taylor said this was not going to be in any way another Somalia if U.S. troops were to come here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHARLES TAYLOR, PRESIDENT OF LIBERIA: In fact, we will feel insulted if we were to be slightly compared with Somalia. Everything here is American. Everything. Everything. We are educated in America. I have cousins, I have nephews in the United States Marines, the Air Force, the Army. Everywhere. They are hundreds, in fact, maybe thousands of Liberians in your armed services all over the place. I have my nephews in your Marines and everything.

We can never be anti-America. Never. So Somalia, don't even mention it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SADLER: Still no troop commitment from President Bush but the U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan says he expects American to make the right decision and to grant support to Liberia -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Brent, you had an exclusive interview. You were ale to sit down with the president. There's been so much talk, Charles Taylor said he would leave, says he would step down. What are the people saying? This is still a man being accused of war crimes and treating his people cruelly. What's the sense on the streets for how -- how he'll comply with U.S. peace keepers?

SADLER: Well, first of all, Kyra, Mr. Taylor is trying to dodge that war crimes indictment. He's looking for asylum already offered in Nigeria. The Nigerian president said Mr. Taylor would not be handed over to the court in Sierra Leone if and when Mr. Taylor does go to Nigeria.

Mr. Taylor is certainly a very cool customer, very articulate, very measured in what he was telling me in that exclusive interview. He is saying he won't leave this country in chaos even though he's accused of helping ferment chaos in this country and beyond Liberia's own borders in the neighboring states of the Ivory Coast and Sierra Leone.

So Mr. Taylor very much under pressure but certainly he and his Nigerian counterpart they say are not going to be harassed into making the wrong decision. And of course, it's anybody's guess as to whether or not Mr. Taylor, once those west African troops get on the ground, perhaps they will be bolstered by others, perhaps by the United States, still remains to be seen if and when Mr. Taylor will actually go.

PHILLIPS: Our Brent Sadler, live from Liberia. Thank you.

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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