Pros and Cons: U.S. Involvement in Liberia Story aired: Monday, July 28, 2003
There was more fighting in Liberia overnight, as rebels and government troops in the capital city Monrovia, continued the shelling that has killed hundreds of civilians in recent days.
This despite a call yesterday from U.S. ambassador John Blaney for the rebels to withdraw so food and aid could reach the refugees who have crowded into the city.
Meanwhile, more than 2,000 U.S. Marines are standing by in ships off the coast of Liberia, but President George W. Bush has insisted that U.S. forces will intervene only in support of a West African peacekeeping force, which has yet to materialize, and only after Liberian President Charles Taylor steps down.
Taylor has said he will leave only when the peacekeepers arrive.
Guests:
Richard Joseph, director of African studies at Northwestern University in Chicago and the former head of the Carter Center's programs in Liberia.
