World IN BRIEF : LIBERIA : Warlords May Be Barred From U.S.

The United States toughened its stance on Liberia, announcing that Charles Taylor and other warlords will be barred from U.S. shores if they refuse to engage in peace talks. State Department spokesman Nicholas Burns also said Washington will consider other penalties if factional leaders do not try to halt the killing in Monrovia and attend a summit on the crisis set for next week in Ghana. Meanwhile, a U.S. military helicopter flew Liberian militia leader Roosevelt Johnson out of his besieged headquarters in Monrovia, the capital of the West African nation. Taylor, who has refused a cease-fire until Johnson surrenders, called Johnson’s departure “a welcome development.” It was unclear whether Johnson considered it a surrender or whether he planned to return to Monrovia after the Ghana talks and resume his power struggle.