Calls for Taylor's resignation absurd - Chea

Liberian government officials attending peace talks in Ghana to end the bloodshed in their country on Saturday reacted angrily to calls for President Charles Taylor to resign as a precondition for a ceasefire.

Mr Daniel Chea, Liberia's Defence Minister, described the uncompromising stand of the rebels - the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) and the Movement for Democracy in Liberia (MODEL) - since the commencement of the talks at Akosombo as "absurd."

Mr Chea said in an interview, "there can be no ceasefire without the active involvement of President Taylor."

Senator Mohamed Dukuly also told journalists that President Taylor's administration had a legitimate mandate to serve its full term in office.

He described LURD and MODEL as illegitimate groups that were exploring the flexibility of the Akosombo talks to dictate their terms.

"We need a transitional government and demobilisation of combatants," he said.

He defended a demand by President Taylor for the UN War Crimes Court in Sierra Leone to drop its indictment of the Liberian leader, a pronouncement that has incensed the rebels.

"President Taylor made the demand to guarantee his security. Stepping aside as a president without his security being guaranteed is like committing suicide," Senator Dukuly said.

The Senator said the Liberian government accepted the draft document on the ceasefire agreement without any conditions, in apparent reference to amendments to the document proposed by the rebels to the ECOWAS Mediation Team outlining conditions to be met before the ceasefire was signed.

"We are therefore not responsible for a breakdown of the talks. If it is a question of jobs or positions, the rebels want in our government, we are ready to offer them (jobs) but the ultimatum for President Taylor to step down is out of the question."

LURD made available to journalists their conditions for ceasefire and these include the resignation and departure of President Taylor from Liberia within 10 days.

They also demanded the establishment of a transitional government within 10 days and creation of a US-led multinational Stabilisation Force.

These demands were in conformity with the position of MODEL.

LURD later introduced an additional clause to the draft ceasefire agreement after further consultations with the ECOWAS team behind closed doors.

It reads: "Political reconciliation shall begin immediately following the signing of this agreement.

Each party reserves the right to withdraw from this agreement if after 30 days of signing, a comprehensive peace agreement is not concluded, providing for the establishment of a transitional government which shall exclude the present leadership."

An ECOWAS source told the GNA that a ceasefire agreement was very elusive and negotiations for a ceasefire were likely to continue in Accra on Monday.

ECOWAS Executive Secretary, Mohamed Ibn Chambas was, however, hopeful that there would be an agreement on Saturday.