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CNN Live Sunday

Interview With Togba Porta, Peace Movement Leader

Aired August 03, 2003 - 16:11   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.


SEAN CALLEBS, CNN ANCHOR: And as Jeff just pointed out, most Liberians just want the fighting in their country to stop. Liberian American Togba Porte now joins -- chairs the Liberians with One Voice for Peace movement. He is in our New York bureau. Thanks very much for joining us today, Togba.
I have to ask you, when you see pictures like, that you lived in Liberia for quite some time, you've been here in the U.S., it must just tear you apart inside.

TOGBA PORTE, PEACE MOVEMENT LEADER: Thank you very much for having me, Sean. And it is indeed devastating. The situation in Liberia is perhaps one of the most difficult situations I've ever faced in my life, and perhaps Liberians have ever faced in their 157 years of existence. But the movement, the Liberians With One Voice for Peace movement has calling on Charles Taylor and the warlords and those who are their supporters to finally leave the country...

CALLEBS: They promised they would vacate the country on many occasions. So far the president simply has. Your mother lives near the U.S. Embassy...

PORTE: Yes, sir.

CALLEBS: ...in Monrovia. When was the last time you spoke with her? How are they doing? We know people in the capital city are having trouble getting food, getting water, getting any kind of medical attention.

PORTE: I've spoken to my mother on Wednesday for -- I mean, after about a month or so of trying to get to her. And I was very happy to hear from her, however, they can't get outside.

But what I want to stress about the situation with Charles Taylor and the warlords stopping the war and stopping the slaughter on our people is that Charles Taylor has reneged on 17 different promises that he made before he became president, and he's also reneged on several promises to leave the country. How sure are we this time he's going to leave?

We as Liberians all around the world are pleading with him to leave for the name and the sake of his brothers and sisters that he so dearly said he cared for a few years back before he came to office. We are also calling on the international community and countries and nations of goodwill all around the world to support the peacekeeping force with every penny they have so that assets can be given to supporting agency and humanitarian aids to go into the country. CALLEBS: Let's pick up on that right now, because Republican Senator, John Warner is among those who says that perhaps the U.S. has no business being in Liberia. What do you say to Senator Warner and other people in this country who feel that way?

PORTE: Well, they can feel whatever they want to feel, but I just want to say to the rest of the world that even if it's not because America or Liberia, anything or the world owe Liberia anything, it should just be because of the moral obligation of the world to support peace all around the world. And if America, who is supposed to be that -- a spokesperson for peace -- I think it should be done in the chambers of the halls of America. And it also should be done because Liberia has backed America and other countries on many occasion.

If you may recall, and from history perhaps we're not living at the time, but in World War II we, Liberia, Monrovia, Roberts International Airport, served as a base for fueling of U.S. planes. And also, in 1946, when Israel was becoming a nation, a state, in the League of Nations and perhaps the United Nations, Liberia was the deciding factor that made Israel a state. Liberia has not just sat back and watched the world.

In South Africa, in the days of apartheid, we supported the movement to set Africans free. I lived in a dormitory with students who came from South Africa that Liberia supported. Now we are asking the world, ordinary Liberian people are asking the world, please help save our mothers and our children. Help save our brothers and sisters and if you don't want to do it, do this, America: we have approximately 5,000 Liberians in the American military. My son, if you look here...

CALLEBS: Togba, let me ask one question.

PORTE: One second, Callebs. I have a hat in my hand that says Navy Dad. My son is currently in the American Navy. That's to show you how much I love this country and I care about this country.

If you say we should not send American soldiers into Liberia, let us send the Liberian children who are soldiers in the American armed forces to go and free their brothers and sisters.

CALLEBS: What -- Now, I'm sure you've seen many of Jeff Koinange's reports coming from there.

PORTE: I have.

CALLEBS: And he has made it clear that just a handful, basically, a few thousand peacekeeping troops from the U.S. would do a world of good, that basically the rebels and the government troops do not want to tangle with U.S. forces in any way, and if they did make a show of force in the capital city that they would begin to dissipate from that area and possibly have some semblance of peace come very quickly.

PORTE: And Sean, that's true. Jeff -- I don't know how long Jeff has lived in Liberia, but if the U.S. can, like I said earlier, send even our children who are in the military onto that ground to help support peacekeeping and monitor the system, I can assure you and I can guarantee my life that not one United States soldier would die in the circumstance, because you know what? Liberia believes in -- Liberians think that America is their big brother.

As a matter of fact, the reason why we believe that is because our capital city is named after James Monroe. Our flag is fashioned after the American flag. Our constitution originally was written in Boston. And also, our first 11 presidents were born in Richmond, Virginia. How close can you be to a country? This is the question that I want to ask the peace lovers out there.

However, the most important thing is to have humanitarian aid going to Liberia. Peace will do that, and Liberians are saying that after you send -- after peace is settled we ourselves are going to Liberia to deliver food, to deliver medicine, to deliver water, and to deliver support to the Liberian people.

CALLEBS: Well, Togba...

PORTE: We are set to do that.

CALLEBS: ... it certainly is a fluid situation. We will be monitoring it. We thank you very much for coming in today. Togba Porte, Liberians with One Voice for Peace. Thanks very much.

PORTE: Thank you very much, Sean.

CALLEBS: Okay, everybody. Stay with us. When we return, we are going to go back to some of the debate going on in Minneapolis as the Episcopalian bishops consider whether they will appoint the first openly gay bishop.

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 3, 2003 - 16:11   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN ANCHOR: And as Jeff just pointed out, most Liberians just want the fighting in their country to stop. Liberian American Togba Porte now joins -- chairs the Liberians with One Voice for Peace movement. He is in our New York bureau. Thanks very much for joining us today, Togba.
I have to ask you, when you see pictures like, that you lived in Liberia for quite some time, you've been here in the U.S., it must just tear you apart inside.

TOGBA PORTE, PEACE MOVEMENT LEADER: Thank you very much for having me, Sean. And it is indeed devastating. The situation in Liberia is perhaps one of the most difficult situations I've ever faced in my life, and perhaps Liberians have ever faced in their 157 years of existence. But the movement, the Liberians With One Voice for Peace movement has calling on Charles Taylor and the warlords and those who are their supporters to finally leave the country...

CALLEBS: They promised they would vacate the country on many occasions. So far the president simply has. Your mother lives near the U.S. Embassy...

PORTE: Yes, sir.

CALLEBS: ...in Monrovia. When was the last time you spoke with her? How are they doing? We know people in the capital city are having trouble getting food, getting water, getting any kind of medical attention.

PORTE: I've spoken to my mother on Wednesday for -- I mean, after about a month or so of trying to get to her. And I was very happy to hear from her, however, they can't get outside.

But what I want to stress about the situation with Charles Taylor and the warlords stopping the war and stopping the slaughter on our people is that Charles Taylor has reneged on 17 different promises that he made before he became president, and he's also reneged on several promises to leave the country. How sure are we this time he's going to leave?

We as Liberians all around the world are pleading with him to leave for the name and the sake of his brothers and sisters that he so dearly said he cared for a few years back before he came to office. We are also calling on the international community and countries and nations of goodwill all around the world to support the peacekeeping force with every penny they have so that assets can be given to supporting agency and humanitarian aids to go into the country. CALLEBS: Let's pick up on that right now, because Republican Senator, John Warner is among those who says that perhaps the U.S. has no business being in Liberia. What do you say to Senator Warner and other people in this country who feel that way?

PORTE: Well, they can feel whatever they want to feel, but I just want to say to the rest of the world that even if it's not because America or Liberia, anything or the world owe Liberia anything, it should just be because of the moral obligation of the world to support peace all around the world. And if America, who is supposed to be that -- a spokesperson for peace -- I think it should be done in the chambers of the halls of America. And it also should be done because Liberia has backed America and other countries on many occasion.

If you may recall, and from history perhaps we're not living at the time, but in World War II we, Liberia, Monrovia, Roberts International Airport, served as a base for fueling of U.S. planes. And also, in 1946, when Israel was becoming a nation, a state, in the League of Nations and perhaps the United Nations, Liberia was the deciding factor that made Israel a state. Liberia has not just sat back and watched the world.

In South Africa, in the days of apartheid, we supported the movement to set Africans free. I lived in a dormitory with students who came from South Africa that Liberia supported. Now we are asking the world, ordinary Liberian people are asking the world, please help save our mothers and our children. Help save our brothers and sisters and if you don't want to do it, do this, America: we have approximately 5,000 Liberians in the American military. My son, if you look here...

CALLEBS: Togba, let me ask one question.

PORTE: One second, Callebs. I have a hat in my hand that says Navy Dad. My son is currently in the American Navy. That's to show you how much I love this country and I care about this country.

If you say we should not send American soldiers into Liberia, let us send the Liberian children who are soldiers in the American armed forces to go and free their brothers and sisters.

CALLEBS: What -- Now, I'm sure you've seen many of Jeff Koinange's reports coming from there.

PORTE: I have.

CALLEBS: And he has made it clear that just a handful, basically, a few thousand peacekeeping troops from the U.S. would do a world of good, that basically the rebels and the government troops do not want to tangle with U.S. forces in any way, and if they did make a show of force in the capital city that they would begin to dissipate from that area and possibly have some semblance of peace come very quickly.

PORTE: And Sean, that's true. Jeff -- I don't know how long Jeff has lived in Liberia, but if the U.S. can, like I said earlier, send even our children who are in the military onto that ground to help support peacekeeping and monitor the system, I can assure you and I can guarantee my life that not one United States soldier would die in the circumstance, because you know what? Liberia believes in -- Liberians think that America is their big brother.

As a matter of fact, the reason why we believe that is because our capital city is named after James Monroe. Our flag is fashioned after the American flag. Our constitution originally was written in Boston. And also, our first 11 presidents were born in Richmond, Virginia. How close can you be to a country? This is the question that I want to ask the peace lovers out there.

However, the most important thing is to have humanitarian aid going to Liberia. Peace will do that, and Liberians are saying that after you send -- after peace is settled we ourselves are going to Liberia to deliver food, to deliver medicine, to deliver water, and to deliver support to the Liberian people.

CALLEBS: Well, Togba...

PORTE: We are set to do that.

CALLEBS: ... it certainly is a fluid situation. We will be monitoring it. We thank you very much for coming in today. Togba Porte, Liberians with One Voice for Peace. Thanks very much.

PORTE: Thank you very much, Sean.

CALLEBS: Okay, everybody. Stay with us. When we return, we are going to go back to some of the debate going on in Minneapolis as the Episcopalian bishops consider whether they will appoint the first openly gay bishop.

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