All set for reconciliation meeting ... without main opposition groups

A national peace and reconciliation conference called by the Liberian government is set to take place on Saturday in the capital, Monrovia, but key opposition groups and personalities are unlikely to attend.

At least 500 Liberians including leading political figures, exiles and civil society groups are expected to attend the meeting. International organizations including the United Nations, African Union and the Economic Community of West African states had also been invited, organisers told IRIN.

Diplomats said, however, that the likely absence of representatives of the rebel Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) would deny the conference an opportunity for complete reconciliation. The rebels said they would not attend because their security was not guaranteed.

Organisers told journalists on Thursday they had not received confirmation from several exiled or overseas-based Liberian leaders that they would attend. These include former interim President Amos Sawyer and former presidential candidate Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

President Charles Taylor launched the conference in July and is expected to give a keynote address on Saturday, before delegates break into committees that will spend several weeks in various parts of the country "to consult all Liberians".

Organisers said the conference would seek to identify and analyse the root causes of Liberia’s conflicts, develop a framework for addressing the problems identified, mobilise collective political will and commitment among Liberians, and develop a post-conference follow-up mechanism.