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Taylor accepts Nigerian asylum offer
Monrovia, July 07: Embattled Liberian President Charles Taylor today said he has accepted an offer of asylum in Nigeria, but gave no indication when he would leave his anarchic country, ravaged by a four-year civil war.
Monrovia, July 07: Embattled Liberian President Charles Taylor today said he has accepted an offer of asylum in Nigeria, but gave no indication when he would leave his
anarchic country, ravaged by a four-year civil war.
"We have accepted it," said Taylor after an emergency
meeting with Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo at
Monrovia's robertsfield airport.
Obasanjo said moments earlier that "we have extended an invitation to President Charles Taylor... He has not hesitated to accept." That offer included "safe haven in Nigeria". The Nigerian leader, whose country has played a leading role in trying to resolve the Liberian conflict, said his invitation was a "necessary gesture for peace" but warned that he would "not accept to be harassed by anybody or any organisation for inviting Charles Taylor to Nigeria."
Taylor, who currently controls only one-fifth of his war-torn country and whose capital is ringed by rebel forces, said the important thing now was to ensure an "orderly" exit. Nigeria had earlier given asylum to two players in an earlier seven-year civil war which was started by Taylor. That conflict ended with Taylor's election to power in 1997.
The asylum offer came amid growing calls for Taylor to step down to end the civil war in Liberia which pits Taylor's government against two rebel movements and has left thousands dead and displaced hundreds of thousands more. US President George W Bush yesterday repeated that Taylor would have to go to bring peace to the anarchic nation of about 3.3 million people, founded by freed African-American slaves in the 19th century.
Bureau Report
Obasanjo said moments earlier that "we have extended an invitation to President Charles Taylor... He has not hesitated to accept." That offer included "safe haven in Nigeria". The Nigerian leader, whose country has played a leading role in trying to resolve the Liberian conflict, said his invitation was a "necessary gesture for peace" but warned that he would "not accept to be harassed by anybody or any organisation for inviting Charles Taylor to Nigeria."
Taylor, who currently controls only one-fifth of his war-torn country and whose capital is ringed by rebel forces, said the important thing now was to ensure an "orderly" exit. Nigeria had earlier given asylum to two players in an earlier seven-year civil war which was started by Taylor. That conflict ended with Taylor's election to power in 1997.
The asylum offer came amid growing calls for Taylor to step down to end the civil war in Liberia which pits Taylor's government against two rebel movements and has left thousands dead and displaced hundreds of thousands more. US President George W Bush yesterday repeated that Taylor would have to go to bring peace to the anarchic nation of about 3.3 million people, founded by freed African-American slaves in the 19th century.
Bureau Report