U.S. bans Liberian leader from country

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- The United States has banned Liberian President Charles Taylor and other leading Liberians from entering the country because of their support for rebels in Sierra Leone, President Bill Clinton said on Wednesday.

The visa ban applies immediately to Taylor, senior members of the Liberian government, their closest supporters and members of their families, he said in a statement.

Clinton said he had repeatedly asked Taylor to stop his government's trafficking in weapons and diamonds and instead to use his influence with the rebel Revolutionary United Front (RUF) to restore peace and stability to Sierra Leone.

The RUF, led by Foday Sankoh, is the main rebel group in Sierra Leone. It is believed to finance its activities by controlling the west African country's diamond mines and exchanging the stones for arms through neighboring Liberia.

"The absence of any positive response from his (Taylor's) government leaves us little choice but to impose these restrictions," Clinton said.

"Only when the government of Liberia ends its participation in activities which support the RUF will the United States review this policy," he added.

Taylor has denied the trafficking accusations and denied that he has helped exacerbate the civil war in neighboring Sierra Leone, where diamonds have been the main spoils of war.

The visa ban applies to anyone who plans, engages in or benefits from activities in support of the RUF or which obstruct peace in Sierra Leone, the statement said. Spouses, children and parents of Liberians who are denied visas may also be banned.

The United States has also ordered nonemergency U.S. embassy staff to leave Monrovia for fear that the visa sanctions will generate anti-American sentiment in the west African country, the State Department said in a warning.

It warned U.S. citizens against travel to Liberia because of what it called the unstable security situation and advised Americans already in the country to consider leaving.

Liberia also faces a conflict in the north, where rebels captured the town of Zorzor at the weekend.

On Tuesday, Liberia said its forces had killed several Guinean soldiers this week during fighting to retake the town.

It says rebels crossed over from Guinea in July to launch a major attack on the north of the country.

U.S. officials were not immediately available to say how many Liberians the visa ban would affect.

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