Liberia Marks National Independence Day by Granting AmnestyLiberian President Charles Taylor Thursday marked the 154th anniversary of the nation's independence by granting an amnesty for all treason suspects living abroad as well as rebels fighting in the northern Lofa county, according to reports reaching Lagos from the country' s capital Monrovia."On this day I announce ... (I) wish to grant general amnesty to all Liberians outside of the country that have been charged with treason -- from Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to all," Taylor was quoted as saying live on radio from a national day celebration in the coastal town of Harper. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is the exiled opposition leader who was beaten by Taylor in a 1997 election, which ended the West African country's eight-year civil war. Taylor also declared that the rebels of Liberia United for Reconstruction and Development (LURD), currently fighting against the government troops in Lofa, would be pardoned if they laid down their arms. "If you are in the bush fighting, lay down your arms and come forward, you are granted amnesty. Come, let us break bread together. Come, sweet home," Taylor said. "Wherever you are, I am the president for all. Come home, brothers and sisters, come home. This is a land of liberty," he added. Liberia, founded in 1847 by freed slaves from the United States, is under the diamond ban, restrictions on the travel of its senior officials and an arms embargo. Meanwhile, the fighting between Liberian troops and the rebels has intensified along the country's troubled northern border areas, especially in Lofa county. |
| People's Daily Online --- http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/ |