Leaders thrash out Liberia timetable

Bush and Annan agreed a 'general approach' over Liberia

US President George W Bush says he is considering sending a small number of American personnel to help restore peace in Liberia, after meeting UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.

Mr Bush said there had been a meeting of minds and he was open to the idea of deploying US troops to support a West African peacekeeping force - but stressed that such a commitment would have to be limited in size and duration.

Mr Bush repeated that the Liberian President Charles Taylor had to leave before US personnel arrived.

Mr Taylor has agreed to step down but has said he will not take up an offer of asylum in Nigeria until the peacekeeping force arrives in Liberia.

The Liberian Government welcomed the announcement that American forces might be sent.

But the BBC's Paul Welsh in Monrovia says that privately officials, as well as Liberians at large, will be disappointed that a large force is not being despatched immediately.

It was Mr Bush and Mr Annan's first meeting since the United States failed to get UN backing for the invasion of Iraq.

We have no plans to attack the capital, but if they continue to attack us we will fight back Chayee Doe Lurd rebels

Mr Annan outlined a possible timetable for international involvement in Liberia, starting with a force of up to 2,000 troops organised by the West African body Ecowas.

"After that, from what I gather, President Taylor will leave Liberia, then the force will be strengthened, hopefully with US participation and additional troops from the West African region," Mr Annan said.

'We will fight back'

Mr Bush told reporters he would not make a decision on US involvement in Liberia - which was founded by freed American slaves - until assessment teams had reported back.

Tens of thousands have been displaced sparking humanitarian fears

"We want to help Ecowas," he said. "It may require troops. But we don't know how many yet. And therefore it's hard for me to make a determination until I've seen all the facts."

Mr Annan told reporters that a "general approach" had been more or less agreed with the US and that he was "very pleased".

On Monday, Liberian Defence Minister Daniel Chea accused rebels of continuing to attack government troops in defiance of a ceasefire and called on Ecowas to intervene.

But the rebel group Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (Lurd) denied they were planning another offensive on the capital Monrovia.

"We have no plans to attack the capital, but if they continue to attack us we will fight back," said Lurd's deputy president Chayee Doe.

Tens of thousands of people have been displaced since fighting broke out between government troops and rebels, and aid agencies have warned of a humanitarian crisis.