Liberian President Confirms He Will Step Down

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Sunday, August 03, 2003

Liberian President Confirms He Will Step Down

Embattled Liberian President Charles Taylor confirmed on Saturday that he will hand over power on Aug. 11, reports reaching here said.

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Embattled Liberian President Charles Taylor confirmed on Saturday that he will hand over power on Aug. 11, reports reaching here said.

"At 11:59 a.m. on Monday (Aug. 11) I will step down and the newguy will be sworn in," Taylor said, confirming an earlier statement by Ghanaian Foreign Minister Nana Akufo-Addo.

"It is anticipated that on Monday the 11th, he (Taylor) will formally hand over power and then the process for his departure will be complete," Akufo-Addo said earlier Saturday after a meeting between West African envoys and Taylor at the presidentialpalace in Liberia's capital Monrovia.

"President Taylor has agreed, has reiterated his agreement to leave the political scene in Liberia," the minister added.

Taylor, who came into power six years ago, has been urged by USPresident George W. Bush and West African leaders to go into exilein a bid to end the ongoing fierce fighting between government troops loyal to Taylor and the Liberian rebels, which flared up more than three weeks ago.

The first wave of Nigerian peacekeepers are due to arrive in Monrovia on Monday.

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