- Title: LIBERIA: RED CROSS START DISTRIBUTING AID TO DISPLACED PEOPLE
- Date: 18th July 2003
- Summary: (W5) MONROVIA, LIBERIA (JULY 16, 2003) (REUTERS) 1. HAS TRUCKS WITH PEOPLE GATHERING AROUND THEM; SLV AID FROM TRUCKS BEING DISTRIBUTED 0.08 2. MV WOMEN CARRYING BLANKETS ON THEIR HEADS; MV CHILD CARRYING SACK OF FOOD ON HEAD; SLV PEOPLE QUEUING BEHIND ROPE; MV ICRC OFFICER INSPECTING TOKENS; SLV REFUGEES; MV AID AND RUGS BEING DISTRIBUTED (12 SHOTS) 1.04 (W7) MONROVIA, LIBERIA (JULY 16, 2003)(REUTERS) 3. MV PRESIDENT CHARLES TAYLOR ARRIVING AT STADIUM, GREETING OFFICIALS; SLV CROWD WAVING AT TAYLOR (3 SHOTS) 1.25 4. MV TAYLOR WALKING TO STAGE SURROUNDED BY BODY GUARDS; SCU GUARD WITH WEAPON (2 SHOTS) 1.36 5. (SOUNDBITE) (English) TAYLOR ADDRESSING CROWD SAYING PEACEKEEPERS MUST COME TO LIBERIA 2.01 6. SLV CHIDREN WATCHING 2.04 9. MV CHILDREN WATCHING THROUGH FENCE 2.23 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 2nd August 2003 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: MONROVIA, LIBERIA
- Country: Liberia
- Reuters ID: LVA74VV63I5Z1Q138SA0JJZMR5HC
- Story Text: The Red Cross has started distributing food, blankets
and clothing to 33,000 displaced people in Liberia's capital
Monrovia
The Red Cross has started distributing aid to 33,000
displaced persons around the capital Monrovia following recent
fighting between rebels and government forces. The Red Cross
distributed peas, salt, oil, wheat, blankets, sleeping bags
and clothing. Altogether the organisation will give out
464,000 kilos of aid taking about a week.
Both sides in the civil war, yesterday (15 July),
welcomed President George W. Bush's willingness to send troops
to their country, but the rebels said they wanted the U.S.
presence to be "overwhelming".
Bush said on Monday (14 July) he was open to sending U.S.
troops but that any deployment would be limited in size and in
duration.
The president has come under pressure to intervene in a
nation founded by freed American slaves in the 19th century
and now brought to its knees by 14 years of almost non-stop
war.
But Washington is wary of sending troops to Africa, 10
years after a bloody and humiliating exit from Somalia. The
U.S. army is also stretched in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Bush has demanded that President Charles Taylor, a former
warlord indicted for war crimes, quits Liberia before any U.S
troops were sent to the area.
Taylor has been indicted by a U.N.-backed court in Sierra
Leone for war crimes linked to that country's civil war.
Nigeria has offered asylum to Taylor, who has accepted but
says he wants peacekeepers in place before he goes.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has
said it also hopes to send up to 1,500 troops in the coming
weeks.
ECOWAS military chiefs are due to meet in Senegal on
Sunday for talks on the logistics of such a deployment. Bush
said he was waiting for a final assessment from U.S. teams in
West Africa before making a decision on U.S. participation.
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said on Monday that
ECOWAS troops could enter Liberia first, then Taylor would
leave as U.S. forces arrived. But rebels would prefer the
Americans to arrive first.
Under a ceasefire deal agreed between Liberia's foes on
June 17, parties to the Ghana talks were given 30 days to draw
up a comprehensive peace plan. That deadline expires on
Thursday.
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