Britain to jail Liberia's Taylor if convicted

LONDON, June 15 (Reuters) Britain today promised to hold Liberia's Charles Taylor in jail if he is convicted of war crimes, paving the way for the West African country's former president to be tried in The Hague.

''I was delighted to be able to respond positively to the request of the United Nations Secretary General, that, should he be convicted, Charles Taylor serve his sentence in the UK,'' British Foreign Minister Margaret Beckett said.

She said in a statement that Taylor's presence in Sierra Leone remained an immediate threat to peace and Britain wanted to demonstrate its commitment to international justice.

Taylor, a former teacher who became one of Africa's most feared warlords, is awaiting trial at a United Nations-backed war crimes tribunal in the capital of Sierra Leone, a former British colony and Liberia's neighbour.

He faces 11 charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity for backing Sierra Leone's Revolutionary United Front rebels, who sent drugged child soldiers into battle and mutilated and raped civilians during the brutal conflict.

The UN-backed court had asked the Netherlands to hold the trial at the International Criminal Court because of security concerns but needed a third country to volunteer as his jailer.

''I am very grateful to Prime Minister Tony Blair and Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett for this statesmanlike decision, which marks another step forward in our battle against impunity for the most heinous crimes,'' UN Secretary General Kofi Annan told a news conference.

TRANSFER Britain sent troops to Sierra Leone to help end the war and sees its offer to hold Taylor as finishing the job started then.

Britain's announcement, subject to approval by parliament, clears the way for a U.N. Security Council resolution in circulation authorising Taylor's transfer to The Hague.

The Netherlands said its conditions for a trial in The Hague had been met although it did not yet have a timeframe.

''We need to have the UN Security Council resolution and then a number of legal steps have to be taken in Holland including passing a bill by parliament. But these steps can happen simultaneously,'' said a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman.

Beckett said Britain would not be required to let Taylor into the country if he were acquitted and the expectation is that he would leave, or be removed, after serving any sentence.

While Taylor is in prison in Sierra Leone, his presence in the region and the fact many of his former henchmen are still at large is seen as a threat to the fragile peace in Liberia.

The chaos and brutality of Sierra Leone's 1991-2002 civil war sparked international outrage. Pictures of civilians with hacked off limbs shocked the world and the United Nations ended up sending 17,500 troops to the diamond-rich country.

Liberia's President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf said during a visit to London last month that she hoped a European country would step forward and offer to hold Taylor in jail.

''We just think a little bit of distance gives us a little more comfort,'' she said.

REUTERS SY BD2144