PRESIDENT Charles Taylor of Liberia said on Saturday that the decision of the Sierra Leone government to make rebel leader Foday Sankoh stand trial for atrocities was “foolish”. “It does not make any sense at this time to deal with the question of Foday Sankoh before disarmament and demobilisation and before elections are held,” Taylor told reporters. He said that it was “very foolish” to stir up the issue while the rebels of Sankoh’s Revolutionary United Front (RUF) were still holding United Nations peacekeepers. However, the RUF released 180 captives on Friday and Taylor, who has been negotiating with the rebels, said he was still confident that the rest, numbering about 70, would follow them to Liberia soon.