US deeply concerned by renewed Liberian violence, no word on troops

WASHINGTON, July 18 (AFP) - The United States expressed deep concern on Friday at renewed fighting between government and rebel forces in Liberia but gave no sign it was ready to commit troops to international peacekeeping mission in the west African country.

"The United States is deeply concerned about the latest escalation of violence in Liberia," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said of the new fighting that has decimated what was left of an already shattered truce.

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"All parties to the Liberian conflict must understand that the international community will not accept any attempt to preempt the negotiations through the resumption of fighting, and those responsible will be held accountable," he said in a statement.

The statement made no mention of US President George W. Bush's consideration of US participation in a West African peacekeeping mission and instead focused on peace talks still underway in the capital of Ghana.

"The only way forward for Liberia is through the peace process now underway in Accra," Boucher said.

"Those responsible for re-instigating violence clearly have no concern for the best interests of the Liberian people, whom they claim to represent since these actions threaten further the safety and security of the Liberian people, " he said.

In Accra, Boucher said the mediator of the talks had just distributed a comprehensive draft peace settlement that he said all Liberians "can quickly adopt."

Meanwhile in Liberia, government troops on Friday were battling rebels on the doorstep of Monrovia as the main insurgent movement claimed it had retaken a key bridge leading to the capital.

The LURD meanwhile said they had wrested the key Po River Bridge, less than 25 kilometres (16 miles) from Monrovia and located on the route to the strategic town of Klay Junction, where fighting has been raging between the LURD and the government troops for three days.

There was no independent confirmation of the fighting or the rebel claim of seizing the strategic bridge.

Liberian President Charles Taylor, who now controls only a fifth of his war-battered nation, recently accepted an asylum offer from Nigeria after agreeing to quit under a west African-brokered peace deal inked last month.

But he has not given a date for his departure and has stressed he will not leave until an international peacekeeping force arrives to ensure a smooth transition in Liberia.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has pledged to send an initial contingent of some 1,000 troops commanded by a Nigerian officer but the exact date of the deployment has not yet been fixed.

Bush has said US troops could play a "limited" role with ECOWAS in Liberia and has suggested that that force eventually be turned into a UN-mandated operation but has not yet made a decision despite repeated calls to do so from Liberians, the United Nations, Britain and France.

The State Department said on Thursday it had drafted language for a UN Security Council resolution authorizing a peacekeeping operation in which US troops could participate but that it would not be introduced until after Bush made a decision.

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US-Liberia