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CNN Saturday Morning News
Taylor Wants Peacekeepers on Ground Before He Steps Down
Aired July 05, 2003 - 07:01 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: Indicted Liberian President Charles Taylor says he will step down, but he wants international peacekeepers in place first.
CNN's Jeff Koinange is covering the story and joins us via videophone with an update from there. And Jeff, no U.S. peacekeepers on the way as of yet, but there are a team of U.S. officials. Any reaction on the ground there?
JEFF KOINANGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Fredricka. That's welcome news here on the ground that the assessment team will come and take care of the situation, see for themselves what's happening.
I don't know if you can see behind me, Fredricka, but it's been raining nonstop all night long and into the morning. You can imagine what that does to the ground, adding more misery to the more than 100,000 displaced Liberians who have fled fighting in the countryside, seeking refuge and shelter right here in the capital, Monrovia, where there is no running water, there's no food, very little relief in sight.
We can tell you that every disease under the sun is setting in as we speak. We're talking everything from malaria to measles to diarrhea and cholera. We understand several children have died from malnutrition, and there's no relief in sight, because there's very few aid workers on the ground. They don't -- they fled Monrovia because of the security situation.
That is why it's welcome news that the assessment team is going to come on the ground. Hopefully peacekeepers will follow soon after, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: And Jeff, you said already a number of humanitarian aid workers have been there, have left. Is there any public plan that they may be making their way back in, knowing that at least some U.S. officials and other international officials might be coming in?
KOINANGE: None whatsoever, Fredricka, only because they want to see the peacekeepers on the ground themselves. They just don't want to hear about it, they want to see it for themselves, because they've been here in other times when there were no peacekeepers, when there was (UNINTELLIGIBLE) -- lots of law -- law and order was nonexistent in the streets of Monrovia, and they were subject to a lot of harassment from militias with guns in the street.
They want a secure Monrovia so that they can come in and do what they do best, namely, provide relief for the people, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: And Jeff, let's talk about the president. President Taylor says he will step down if peacekeepers are in place. That's one condition. Another condition is, where would he go? Nigerian officials have spoken with him, possibly offering him exile. Is that still an option for him?
KOINANGE: That's still very much an option. In fact, Sunday, Nigeria's president, Olusegun Obasanjo, is due here in town. He's going to talk with President Taylor a little more about that, asylum, or what President Taylor calls "a soft landing offer." Then we will know more whether he will take the offer, or whether he'll wait for the peacekeepers to come and then leave.
But President Taylor insists if he leaves now, there will be a power vacuum, and the militia will turn their guns on the innocent civilians in the streets of Monrovia, and it will be literally a free- for-all, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, Jeff Koinange, thank you very much for joining us via videophone.
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 5, 2003 - 07:01 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Indicted Liberian President Charles Taylor says he will step down, but he wants international peacekeepers in place first.
CNN's Jeff Koinange is covering the story and joins us via videophone with an update from there. And Jeff, no U.S. peacekeepers on the way as of yet, but there are a team of U.S. officials. Any reaction on the ground there?
JEFF KOINANGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Fredricka. That's welcome news here on the ground that the assessment team will come and take care of the situation, see for themselves what's happening.
I don't know if you can see behind me, Fredricka, but it's been raining nonstop all night long and into the morning. You can imagine what that does to the ground, adding more misery to the more than 100,000 displaced Liberians who have fled fighting in the countryside, seeking refuge and shelter right here in the capital, Monrovia, where there is no running water, there's no food, very little relief in sight.
We can tell you that every disease under the sun is setting in as we speak. We're talking everything from malaria to measles to diarrhea and cholera. We understand several children have died from malnutrition, and there's no relief in sight, because there's very few aid workers on the ground. They don't -- they fled Monrovia because of the security situation.
That is why it's welcome news that the assessment team is going to come on the ground. Hopefully peacekeepers will follow soon after, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: And Jeff, you said already a number of humanitarian aid workers have been there, have left. Is there any public plan that they may be making their way back in, knowing that at least some U.S. officials and other international officials might be coming in?
KOINANGE: None whatsoever, Fredricka, only because they want to see the peacekeepers on the ground themselves. They just don't want to hear about it, they want to see it for themselves, because they've been here in other times when there were no peacekeepers, when there was (UNINTELLIGIBLE) -- lots of law -- law and order was nonexistent in the streets of Monrovia, and they were subject to a lot of harassment from militias with guns in the street.
They want a secure Monrovia so that they can come in and do what they do best, namely, provide relief for the people, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: And Jeff, let's talk about the president. President Taylor says he will step down if peacekeepers are in place. That's one condition. Another condition is, where would he go? Nigerian officials have spoken with him, possibly offering him exile. Is that still an option for him?
KOINANGE: That's still very much an option. In fact, Sunday, Nigeria's president, Olusegun Obasanjo, is due here in town. He's going to talk with President Taylor a little more about that, asylum, or what President Taylor calls "a soft landing offer." Then we will know more whether he will take the offer, or whether he'll wait for the peacekeepers to come and then leave.
But President Taylor insists if he leaves now, there will be a power vacuum, and the militia will turn their guns on the innocent civilians in the streets of Monrovia, and it will be literally a free- for-all, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, Jeff Koinange, thank you very much for joining us via videophone.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
