Liberian President Asks U.S. to Help Rebuild Beacon of Liberty

Speaking before a joint meeting of the United States Congress on March 15, 2006, Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf asked for American support to help her country  "become a brilliant beacon, an example to Africa and the world of what love of liberty can achieve."

"The people of Liberia and the people of the United States are bound together by history and by values," Sirleaf said. "But our ties greatly exceed the historical connection," she said. She thanked President Bush for his strong stand against the former Liberian ruler Charles Taylor and the Congress for appropriating $445 million "that laid the foundation for a durable peace" in 2003. he 35-minute speech, to a full chamber and packed visitors' galleries, was interrupted 33 times by applause, including a dozen by standing ovation. One of the loudest and longest ovations came when she said: "I stand before you today as the first woman elected to lead an African nation." Vice President Dick Cheney, in his capacity as president of the Senate, and Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert jointly presided, with members of the Cabinet and diplomatic corps in attendance. Sirleaf became the fourth African head-of-state and the eighth women to address a joint meeting.