Liberian Leader Urges Trial for Ex-President

Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf said her impoverished nation could not move beyond its years of civil strife unless exiled former President Charles Taylor was given his day in court. She spoke outside the White House after a meeting with President Bush.

Sirleaf-Johnson, Africa’s first democratically elected female head of state, has asked Nigeria to hand over Taylor, who has been indicted by a United Nations tribunal. Taylor is accused of supporting a Sierra Leone rebel movement and trading guns and gems with insurgents infamous for mutilating civilians.