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The US military commander in Europe has been ordered to begin planning for possible American intervention in Liberia, officials said Thursday, as President Bush and his advisers weighed diplomatic and military options for responding to the Liberian conflict.

Liberians youths holding placards saying "America we support your Peace" and "For the sake of peace Charles must go" demonstrate against President Charles Taylor in front of the US embassy July 3, 2003. [Reuters]

Secretary of State Colin Powell said he was consulting the United Nations and leaders in Africa, and Bush's National Security Council struggled with the issue for a third day.

Powell spoke of "a severe humanitarian crisis emerging" in Liberia as well as concern for the safety of American diplomats there. He said, "All of these factors are being taken into consideration."

Options on the table ranged from sending no troops to sending thousands, defense officials said.

Some in the administration have suggested that sending a contingent of several dozen soldiers to the US Embassy in Monrovia along with stepping up diplomatic efforts might suffice. In line with that, Bush and other US officials were pressing the effort to persuade Liberian President Charles Taylor to leave the country.

Bush said he would not be rushed into making a decision before he leaves Monday evening for a five-country African tour. He called anew for Taylor to leave.

"A condition for any progress in Liberia is his removal, his removing himself," Bush said in an interview with African journalists.

In a separate interview, he declined to say what he would do if Taylor refuses to cede power. "I refuse to accept the negative," Bush told CNN International. "I am convinced that he will listen."

"I'm in the process now of gathering the information necessary to make a rational decision as to how to bring - how to enforce the cease-fire, to keep the cease-fire in place," Bush said.

He spoke of America's "unique history" with Liberia, which was founded by freed American slaves, saying there was "a greater sense of expectations" of US help.

Indeed, thousands of Liberians marched behind an American flag to the US Embassy in Monrovia, pleading for Bush to send troops to help stop the years of bloody civil war in their nation.

"No more Taylor, we want Bush, we want peace," the crowd chanted. Across town, 300 people rallied in support of Taylor, saying his departure would mean the United States could oust any African leader it opposed.

Sending at least some US troops appeared to be a strong possibility. The American military commander in Europe was ordered to begin planning for possible intervention.

A directive called a "warning order" was sent overnight to Gen. James Jones, asking him to give the Pentagon his estimate of how the situation in the West African nation might be handled, defense officials said on condition of anonymity.

Bush was trying to decide how to respond to international pressure that he send 2,000 troops to help enforce a cease-fire in the country.

Another military option was to send 500 to 1,000 Americans who might coordinate logistics for any peacekeeping mission, provide it with communications equipment and assist non-governmental organizations in the area, defense officials said.

Taking that lesser role would allow the United States to keep down the number of Americans required - a big consideration with so many already deployed for stabilization in postwar Iraq, in Afghanistan and for the counterterror war.

At the White House, national security adviser Condoleezza Rice ticked off reasons why Liberia's situation might meet Bush's tests for sending troops.

Stability there "could be vital to progress on the continent," she said, and helping the country now could avert a disaster like that in Rwanda in the mid-1990s.

"We've also recognized since 9-11 that one wants to be careful about permitting conditions of failed states to create conditions in which there's so much instability that you begin to see greater sources of terrorism," she said.

"But an America president is always reluctant to have forces go anywhere," she said.

At the State Department, spokesman Richard Boucher said the United States had been in touch with Nigeria, which had offered Taylor asylum.

Hundreds of civilians in Monrovia were killed last month, and more than 1 million Liberians have been displaced in the latest round of fighting, started three years ago as rebels began trying to oust Taylor, a former warlord who won election in 1997.

A month ago, a U.N.-backed court in neighboring Sierra Leone indicted Taylor for crimes against humanity. He has been accused by others of backing rebels in Sierra Leone, where reports of atrocities are widespread.

Sporadic fighting has continued in Liberia despite a June 17 cease-fire agreement.

Senate Armed Services Chairman John Warner, R-Va., said the additional deployment of US troops would be manageable but should be approached cautiously.

"We must look very prudently when we ask more of them," he said. Warner spoke at a news conference with senators just returned from Iraq.

The committee's top Democrat, Carl Levin of Michigan, said he was "concerned about US troops being stretched too thin" though he was willing to consider a mission if other countries would help in Iraq.

More than 10,000 US troops are deployed in and around Afghanistan and nearly 150,000 in troubled postwar Iraq.

Former President Carter welcomed Bush's statements of determination to help Liberians.

"US leadership can and should extend to the deployment of US forces in support of a multinational humanitarian intervention," Carter said.

Bush said he will carry a message of compassion when he leaves Monday for Senegal, South Africa, Botswana, Uganda and Nigeria. He will not visit Liberia.

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