Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Sunday Morning

Interview With Thomas Woewiyu

Aired July 06, 2003 - 10:33   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.


FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: For more insight now into the situation in Liberia, Liberian Senator Thomas Woewiyu is live with us now from Washington. Senator Woewiyu, good to see you. Thanks very much for joining us.
THOMAS WOEWIYU: SENATOR, LIBERIA: Thank you for receiving me.

WHITFIELD: All right, with the U.S. assessment team soon to be on the ground in Monrovia later on today, how much cooperation or assistance will the Liberian government be giving them?

WOEWIYU: I think it will be 100 percent support. First of all, we need to thank President Bush for focusing his attention on the Liberian situation, because we know that Africa is divided among the old colonizers and Liberia is considered an American colony. And none of the other people -- other countries would do, France or Britain, would do anything for us without the expressed and -- involvement of the United States, and we are privileged and happy that President Bush has focused his attention on Liberia, because there are several imperatives why Liberia is important to the United States.

First of all, by blood, we are related. More than 10 percent of the population of Liberia has actual blood ties with African-Americans here in the United States.

WHITFIELD: Including the president, as he said...

WOEWIYU: Including the president, House of Representatives...

WHITFIELD: So you're saying there is this cooperation that will come between the existing Liberian government, which is led by Charles Taylor, who is being pressed to step down and the U.S. as the assessors make their way there. There are a couple of issues at hand. The humanitarian need and, of course, as I mentioned, President Taylor stepping down.

Do you feel like it is a shoe-in that Nigeria will be a place of asylum for him if, indeed, the Nigerian president is just about to touch down in Monrovia to talk about asylum?

WOEWIYU: Quite frank with you, the departure of President Taylor from his position as president of the country is something that he himself has agreed to do and all Liberians are happy. And if he is the problem, that he should step down. But going into exile creates a lot of doubt for us, because this is a spiral of violence that has always held us down, when one group takes over, another group goes into exile and then resuscitates later on and come back and start the same violence.

You see, the two forces that are against the government are forces that are people that went into exile. The first group, the Lurd (ph), which is this group coming out of Guinea, they talk in Islamic fundamentalism. They are made of Liberians that took part in the election in '97, (UNINTELLIGIBLE), and then went on to Guinea and started coming back.

WHITFIELD: So you're saying that just that he might step down is not necessarily the answer. But let's talk about what President Taylor says he wants to be a soft landing. Is it appropriate, do you believe, to Liberian civilians to see that this president, who is accused of various war crimes, would get this quote/unquote "soft landing," find asylum in a neighboring African nation? Nigeria being one that is economically a very strong nation and very respected throughout the continent.

WOEWIYU: But what the Liberian Senate and the Liberian legislature has resolved that actually all Liberians involved in the war in Liberia should be given amnesty, and maybe at a later date we can do what was done in South Africa, truce and reconciliation.

Taylor is not accused of any crime or any act of inhumanity committed in Liberia. He is accused of helping the rebel group RUF (ph) in Sierra Leone. This is not a strange thing (ph). On the continent, you have in central Africa, you have President Museveny, President Mgube, President (UNINTELLIGIBLE), all are involved in helping others to commit acts in Congo that are not good for human kind.

In the western region of Africa, you have the president of Guinea, you have the president of Burkina-Faso, all accused of the same thing. So President Taylor is not accused of doing something against the Liberian people, which he should be responsible for. So we don't find he's -- his departure from the country as a citizen not involved in government of any importance because if he remains there at least the Liberian people can watch him and he can watch them and we will make sure that he does not become all of his people do not become problems later on.

WHITFIELD: All right, Liberian Senator Thomas Woewiyu, thank you for joining us from Washington.

WOEWIYU: 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







Aired July 6, 2003 - 10:33   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: For more insight now into the situation in Liberia, Liberian Senator Thomas Woewiyu is live with us now from Washington. Senator Woewiyu, good to see you. Thanks very much for joining us.
THOMAS WOEWIYU: SENATOR, LIBERIA: Thank you for receiving me.

WHITFIELD: All right, with the U.S. assessment team soon to be on the ground in Monrovia later on today, how much cooperation or assistance will the Liberian government be giving them?

WOEWIYU: I think it will be 100 percent support. First of all, we need to thank President Bush for focusing his attention on the Liberian situation, because we know that Africa is divided among the old colonizers and Liberia is considered an American colony. And none of the other people -- other countries would do, France or Britain, would do anything for us without the expressed and -- involvement of the United States, and we are privileged and happy that President Bush has focused his attention on Liberia, because there are several imperatives why Liberia is important to the United States.

First of all, by blood, we are related. More than 10 percent of the population of Liberia has actual blood ties with African-Americans here in the United States.

WHITFIELD: Including the president, as he said...

WOEWIYU: Including the president, House of Representatives...

WHITFIELD: So you're saying there is this cooperation that will come between the existing Liberian government, which is led by Charles Taylor, who is being pressed to step down and the U.S. as the assessors make their way there. There are a couple of issues at hand. The humanitarian need and, of course, as I mentioned, President Taylor stepping down.

Do you feel like it is a shoe-in that Nigeria will be a place of asylum for him if, indeed, the Nigerian president is just about to touch down in Monrovia to talk about asylum?

WOEWIYU: Quite frank with you, the departure of President Taylor from his position as president of the country is something that he himself has agreed to do and all Liberians are happy. And if he is the problem, that he should step down. But going into exile creates a lot of doubt for us, because this is a spiral of violence that has always held us down, when one group takes over, another group goes into exile and then resuscitates later on and come back and start the same violence.

You see, the two forces that are against the government are forces that are people that went into exile. The first group, the Lurd (ph), which is this group coming out of Guinea, they talk in Islamic fundamentalism. They are made of Liberians that took part in the election in '97, (UNINTELLIGIBLE), and then went on to Guinea and started coming back.

WHITFIELD: So you're saying that just that he might step down is not necessarily the answer. But let's talk about what President Taylor says he wants to be a soft landing. Is it appropriate, do you believe, to Liberian civilians to see that this president, who is accused of various war crimes, would get this quote/unquote "soft landing," find asylum in a neighboring African nation? Nigeria being one that is economically a very strong nation and very respected throughout the continent.

WOEWIYU: But what the Liberian Senate and the Liberian legislature has resolved that actually all Liberians involved in the war in Liberia should be given amnesty, and maybe at a later date we can do what was done in South Africa, truce and reconciliation.

Taylor is not accused of any crime or any act of inhumanity committed in Liberia. He is accused of helping the rebel group RUF (ph) in Sierra Leone. This is not a strange thing (ph). On the continent, you have in central Africa, you have President Museveny, President Mgube, President (UNINTELLIGIBLE), all are involved in helping others to commit acts in Congo that are not good for human kind.

In the western region of Africa, you have the president of Guinea, you have the president of Burkina-Faso, all accused of the same thing. So President Taylor is not accused of doing something against the Liberian people, which he should be responsible for. So we don't find he's -- his departure from the country as a citizen not involved in government of any importance because if he remains there at least the Liberian people can watch him and he can watch them and we will make sure that he does not become all of his people do not become problems later on.

WHITFIELD: All right, Liberian Senator Thomas Woewiyu, thank you for joining us from Washington.

WOEWIYU: 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