Peace talks scheduled for June 2 in Ghana

Liberian President Charles Taylor said on Wednesday he would attend peace talks with rebel movements to be convened by the International Contact Group on Liberia in Accra, Ghana, on 2 June. However, government and diplomatic sources in the Liberian capital Monrovia said the main rebel movement, Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD), had objected to the venue. The sources said LURD was worried about the security of its delegates in Accra and wanted the venue to be switched to the Senegalese capital Dakar instead. Taylor said in a statement that he would be flexible and would do everything possible for the sake of peace to make the talks successful. He promised to be in Accra for their launch. The ICGL, which comprises the United States, the UK, France, Morocco, Nigeria, Ghana, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the African Union and the United Nations, proposed June 2 for the start of talks in Accra at a meeting in Brussels on Monday. The contact group said in a statement on Wednesday that the talks would bring together the government, LURD and civic organisations. It said they should focus on arranging a ceasefire, lasting peace, security, respect for human rights, the rule of law, electoral reform and a process of national reconciliation. The ICGL expressed "deep concern over the persistent conflict in Liberia," saying it "remains a threat to the peace and stability of the entire region." It urged the Liberian government and LURD and its recent offshoot, the Movement for Democracy in Liberia (MODEL), to cease all hostilities and enter into "immediate and unconditional dialogue". The contact group strongly urged all sides in the Liberian conflict to accept the peace mediator designated by ECOWAS, former Nigerian leader General Abdulsalami Abubakar. But the group warned that it would only support the deployment of an international peacekeeping force in Liberia if there was "concrete progress" at the Accra talks.