Liberian President-elect arrives in Ivory Coast on first foreign trip

(29 Nov 2005)
1. People holding up sign welcoming Liberian President-elect Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, to Liberia and singing gospel songs
2. Ground staff at airport directing plane
3. Johnson-Sirleaf's plane taxiing on runway
4. Ivory Coast president Laurent Gbabgo watching the plane arrive
5. Liberia and Ivory Coast flags
6. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf disembarking
7. Johnson-Sirleaf is greeted by Gbabgo
8. Johnson-Sirleaf greeting officials
9. Various of military ceremony honouring Johnson-Sirleaf
10. Reporters in the VIP lounge at the airport
11. SOUNDBITE: (English) Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Liberia President-elect:
(re: Charles Taylor)
"I think, please allow me to have consultation with the West African leaders whom I am visiting, to take guidance from them before we take a position on that."
12. Liberian President-elect Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf walking with Ivory Coast president Laurent Gbabgo
13. Liberians cheering
14. Johnson-Sirleaf leaving
15. Military
STORYLINE:
Liberia's leader-in-waiting Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf travelled to the Ivory Coast on Tuesday where she met with its president, Laurent Gbabgo.
This is Johnson-Sirleaf's first foreign trip since winning elections earlier this month.
She received a warm welcome from Gbagbo, who has been long accused of supporting a Liberian wartime rebellion.
Thousands of refugees have shuttled between the nations who share borders to escape respective fighting on both sides.
In Ivory Coast, Johnson-Sirleaf promised to cooperate with her counterparts in a region where bitter rivalry among leaders has been the norm.
Johnson-Sirleaf will hold talks with Gbabgo, meet the Liberian community based in Abidjan and then fly to the Nigerian capital, Abuja, later Tuesday.
Nigeria's President Olusegun Obasanjo was instrumental in brokering a 2003 peace accord that officially ended Liberia's 14 year war and arranged a two-year national unity government.
Fighting ceased when warlord-turned ex-President Charles Taylor stepped down and flew to Nigeria, where he now lives in exile.
Johnson-Sirleaf was confirmed last week as winner of Liberia's first post-war elections in spite of objections from her opponent, soccer star George Weah, who has alleged election fraud.
International observers, though, declared the voting free and fair and Johnson-Sirleaf is scheduled to be sworn in in January.
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