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Subject: To Liberate Liberia=
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 92 04:39:11 EST
Message-ID: <33.1992Nov13.043912@AmeriCast.com>

To Liberate Liberia=

 IF CHARLES TAYLOR learns anything this week, it is that key West
African nations, with this country's strong backing, aren't going
to stand by while his rebel forces shoot their way to power in
Liberia.  That was the significance of last Saturday's nine-
member summit meeting of West African heads of state and govern-
ment in Nigeria and yesterday's State Department announcement
reaffirming support for the West African military force in Li-
beria.

There had been momentary confusion earlier in the week when the
BBC broadcast remarks of a high-ranking State Department African
affairs official reportedly suggesting that with the resumption
of fighting in and around the capital of Monrovia, the seven-
nation West African peacekeeping force had become another Liberi-
an warring faction. That view was quickly dispelled by the State
Department yesterday. It has been Charles Taylor's three-week-old
premeditated aggression that has wasted hundreds of innocent
lives. The West African forces have the right to defend them-
selves and the nearly 1 million frightened and war-weary Liberi-
ans huddled in Monrovia against Mr. Taylor's rocket and ground
attacks. The bombardment of Mr.  Taylor's rebel positions around
Monrovia is a rejoinder that he brought on himself. As he did
that, he can also bring the fighting to an end.  Regretably, this
week's scheduled cease-fire, sought by the multinational force
and echoed by Mr. Taylor, never had a chance. Hostilities contin-
ued because Mr. Taylor's men never stopped shooting, and he
showed no willingness to implement a cease-fire concurrently with
the encampment and disarmament of his forces, as called for by
the West African peace plan he signed. Now Mr.  Taylor will face
regional economic sanctions, which West African leaders hope will
be endorsed by the U.N. Security Council. Liberia shouldn't have
to come to this. Mr. Taylor should accept the reality that
achieving power in Liberia at the point of a gun is really to
cause his country to lose in the worst way.<02:25 11-13C9999-----

Copyright 1992, The Washington Post.  This story is from the
Washington Post's Capitol Edition On-Line and is not to be ar-
chived or redistributed.

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