WORLD : Peace Force Arrives Off Liberia

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast — Ships carrying a West African peacekeeping force with orders to end Liberia’s civil war arrived today off the capital, Monrovia, but rebels said they would fight it.

The fleet of four warships and a cargo vessel did not attempt to land its 3,000 soldiers but tried in vain to raise port authorities on the radio, diplomats in contact with their embassies in Monrovia said.

The ships carrying troops from Sierra Leone, Guinea, Nigeria, Gambia and Ghana made radio contact with the U.S. Embassy, which promised to inform Monrovia’s port.

Rebel spokesman Tom Woewiyu said in neighboring Ivory Coast that the rebels would attack the force sent by five of the 16 members of the Economic Community of West African States. The rebels say the community favors embattled Liberian President Samuel K. Doe.