The announcement came shortly after the Nigerian president arrived in the Liberian capital Monrovia to discuss the offer. Taylor, who has been under pressure from the United States to leave, said that he wanted to ensure that his departure would occur in an orderly fashion, without bloodshed.

The fact that Taylor will be allowed to choose the time of his departure was significant ? the US has been demanding that the president, who is wanted for war crimes, leave immediately.

Taylor says he will only step down after a US-led peacekeeping force is in place in Liberia. ?We believe that it is not unreasonable to request that there be an orderly exit from power,? Taylor said at a joint press conference with the Nigerian leader. This view was echoed by Obasanjo who said emphatically that he would not allow his country to be ?harassed? over the decision to invite Taylor to Nigeria.

<B>Humanitarian crisis</B>

The United Nations is in principle opposed to the exile option because it would mean Taylor avoiding prosecution at the UN-backed war crimes tribunal in neighbouring Sierra Leone, where, according to the UN, Taylor supported rebels responsible for widespread atrocities.

The people of Liberia have been suffering the effects of a bitter civil war. 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. The World Health Organisation has made an urgent appeal for funds and supplies to tackle a serious outbreak of cholera and other diseases among the 200,000 people living rough. On Friday, the West African regional body, Ecowas, agrees to provide 3,000 troops for a peacekeeping force in Liberia. Washington has sent a fact-finding mission to Liberia, but says no decision has been made yet on troop deployment.

Talks between the government and rebels groups continue in neighbouring Ghana, with mediators setting a target of 15 July for a transitional government. In the Liberian capital, Monrovia, some West African leaders think allowing Taylor to go into exile is the best way of avoiding a devastating battle for the city. Already there are hundreds of thousands of war displaced people crammed into the capital, and rebel forces are just a shot distance away.

It is a dangerous stalemate and everyone is waiting to see what the Americans or the rebels at the gates of the city will do, if it continues.