US embassy cable - 03TEGUCIGALPA1667

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