Liberia's Warring Factions Sign Ceasefire Deal

Liberian government and rebel negotiators, meeting in Ghana, have signed a cease-fire agreement aimed at ending Liberia's civil war.

Details of the agreement were not immediately available. But West African mediators said earlier Tuesday that under the deal, the parties would set up a transitional government in Liberia within 30 days.

President Charles Taylor would relinquish power under the deal. The peace talks began earlier this month in Akosombo, Ghana under the sponsorship of the Economic Community of West African States, or ECOWAS.

However, negotiations stalled after rebel fighters reached the outskirts of Monrovia, the Liberian capital, 10 days ago. The two rebel factions, Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) and the Movement for Democracy in Liberia (MODEL), control two-thirds of Liberia and have demanded Mr. Taylor's resignation.

The Liberian leader is under international sanctions for his alleged role as the mastermind of West Africa's regional wars. The U.N.-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone has indicted him in connection with atrocities committed by that country's rebels during a 10-year civil war.