[Peace-discuss] US and Liberia - more double standards

[Ricky Baldwin]

[Here's that famous US commitment to humanitarian
intervention again.  The rule seems to be: when other
nations and the UN develop a peaceful and rational way
to resolve a problem, the US is compelled to attack
with deadly force, but when other nations and the UN
see a humanitarian catastrophe in the making in need
of urgent assistance, the US sits back.  

But what the UN just doesn't seem to understand is
that the only people who need to be 'liberated' are
the ones sitting on top of our oil, or in the way of
our pipelines.  National race-panics and subsequent
crusades are dogs that can be called out or called off
by a very small group of men and a couple of women in
Washington, but not for such trifles as human life and
well-being. - RB]  

Washington not ready to join Liberia peacekeepers

June 30, 2003

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States has not decided
whether its troops will join peacekeepers in Liberia,
a State Department spokesman said. 

"We've been looking more broadly at the overall
situation to see what contribution we could make and
how we might help work with others to calm that
situation somewhat for the sake of the people of
Liberia," Richard Boucher said. 

"I don't have a final answer at this point on what the
prospects are or what steps we might choose." 

Boucher added that Washington had opted to take a seat
on an international commission to oversee a cease-fire
accord reached between the Liberian government and
rebel forces on June 17 in Accra, Ghana but which has
since fallen through. 

On Saturday UN Secretary General Kofi Annan asked the
Security Council authorize deployment of a
multilateral force in Liberia. He said Monday that US
participation was welcome. 

"There are lots of expectations that the US may be
prepared to lead this force, of course that is a
sovereign decision for them to take, but all eyes are
on them," Annan told reporters. 

On Saturday the UN chief called in the UN Security
Council in a letter for the urgent deployment of a
multinational force to the West African state to
prevent a "major humanitarian tragedy." 



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