Monrovia, Nov 28: Liberia's warring factions stormed out of an inaugural disarmament meeting saying they would only begin to lay down their guns when a row over government appointments was resolved, UN officials said. Presenting an unusual common front, rebel officials and representatives of the former government walked out of the talks with United Nations personnel and the West African country's current leader, Gyude Bryant.

''They stormed out, everybody spent a minute with their mouth open,'' said a UN official at the meeting. ''They said they would not start the process of disarmament until the dispute over appointments was resolved.'' He said the official launch of the programme was still due to go ahead on December 1, while fighters are due to start assembling in three locations on December 7 to begin handing in their weapons and join training schemes. The disarmament of an estimated 40,000 fighters, many of them drugged-up child soldiers and young men inured to pillage and murder, is regarded as key to cementing an august peace accord meant to end nearly 14 years of war.

Following the departure into exile of President Charles Taylor, Bryant was sworn in last month as chairman of a transitional government grouping the three warring factions, political leaders and civil society groups. Bureau Report