Liberian People's Party Wants Taylor, LURD Dialogue

The Liberian People's Party (LPP) has recommended the need for the Liberian leader, President Charles Ghankay Taylor, to attend and sit at the pending peace talks on the Liberian crisis with the LURD; as Patrick K. Wrokpoh reports.

The party's decision was contained in a position statement it issued on the pending peace talks and the way forward for peace.

The statement which has since been submitted to the party's executive committee after it was prepared by a special committee set up by the leadership of the party, stressed that the government should engage the LURD in a face to face discussion during the talks in an effort to find a solution to the crisis in the country as a way of ending the suffering of the Liberian people.

The LPP warned that the pending talks should not be an extension of what it termed as "the failed July 2002 National Reconciliation Conference in Liberia." The LPP also said that attempts by the government to present the pending peace talks as an extension of the Monrovia reconciliation conference should be out rightly rejected by Liberians, ECOWAS and the International Contact Group on the Liberia.

The party said such an attempt will be another scheme by the government to derail the process in the search for peace and to prolong the suffering of the Liberian people.

The LPP at the same time, called for an end to the conscription of child soldiers by both the government and the LURD, stressing that children that have already been recruited should be released and turned over to their parents.

The LPP condemned the LURD insurgency and the indiscipline of the Liberian government forces and noted that these were the primary reasons responsible for the suffering of the Liberian people.

The party also called on the Liberian people through their respective political parties to pressurize the government to request the United Nations to make sure that the up coming elections are conducted with its help.

The LPP further called for the halt to the conscription of young men and women into the government militia forces as well as the LURD.

The party said in the statement that in the event where the elections were not held this October, a formula should be worked out to consider the question of governance beyond the Taylor tenure.