Congressional Efforts to Hold Taylor Accountable for Al Qaeda Connections, Human Rights Abuses, Grow
The asylum in Nigeria of Charles Taylor, former Liberian strongman and al Qaeda diamond facilitator, is coming under more sustained scrutiny by Congress. As evidence mounts of Taylor's continued meddling in West African affairs ( including orchestrating an assassination attempt against Guinean president Lansana Conte), the House, led by Rep. Sue Kelly (R-NY) and Frank Wolf (R-VA) are trying to increase pressure on the State Department to at least put Taylor's status on the agenda. A the heart of their demands for action are Taylor's past role in selling "blood diamonds" to al Qaeda and his human rights atrocities. Both have seen the evidence and, despite the FBI's ongoing attempts to attack the information, believe, as I do, that the diamond deals were real and important to al Qaeda's financial well-being. Even laying the al Qaeda ties aside, Taylor has now so clearly violated the terms of his asylum agreement that it is difficult to imagine that Nigeria cannot be induced to hand him over to the U.N.-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone, where he is indicted on 18 counts of crimes against humanity.
Even more alarming are the current, credible reports, mentioned by Ms. Kelly, that Taylor has not only been meddling in regional affairs and in the internal affairs of Liberia, but that he is traveling regularly to Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso to meet with cronies and fellow mass murderers. It is difficult to understand why bringing Taylor to justice is such a low priority for the State Department, which has recently responded to Congressional inquiries with assurances that Taylor is no longer a threat to the region and is not involved in regional politics.
This position is so clearly unrelated to reality that Ms. Kelly, seeking a way to get the Department's attention, sought to attach an ammendment to the supplemental budget bill that would have frozen any aid to Nigeria until Taylor was handed over. She withdrew the ammendment after assurances were given from relevant committees that her concerns would be addressed. These are not huge steps, but valuable ones from people seeking to do what is right on an issue that offers them no political points or praise. At least now State know someone is watching and waiting for action. Below is a transcript of Ms. Kelly and Mr. Wolf on the House floor. For complete blog see my blog.
