This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS TEGUCIGALPA 001667
SIPDIS
FOR WHA/PDA (JGREENBLATT), WHA/CEN, PD TASK FORCE
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OIIP PREL KPAO PGOV IZ HO
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION ON LIBERIA, JULY 14, 2003
1. Op-ed by Carlos Alberto Montaner in Tegucigalpa-based moderate
daily "El Heraldo" on 7/12 entitled "Yankee, come home!". "The
international public opinion wasn't prepared to witness the show
put by countless demonstrators asking for a US military
intervention in Liberia, to end the civil war that is tearing
this country apart. They didn't ask for troops from the U.N.,
NATO, the Russians, the EU, much less from the Organization of
African Unity. They want the gringos. How come?, because of their
historical ties. Liberia was founded by a group of former
American slaves that returned to their African motherland. We
just have to find out if the U.S. has the will to take on this
endeavor, so little after the Iraqi campaign."
"I certainly hope that the US leads an international force to
bring peace to Liberia and in general to that particularly
unstable African region. There's not much that can be done, and
it would be absurd to create false expectations, but still
there's a little hope: it appears that Liberia's neighbor
country, Senegal, is slowly consolidating a democratic
government. With a combination of luck, time and appropriate
advice, this can be a leading example for this region. The US
might just be the last hope for this poor people."
Palmer