Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf and footballer George Weah, her main rival in the country’s recent elections, met on Monday to discuss ”peace and stability”, the government announced on Tuesday.
”The president Madame Ellen [Johnson] Sirleaf yesterday [Monday] met with the standard bearer of the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) George Weah. The two people talked about peace and stability in Liberia and the sub-region,” a government statement broadcast on national radio on Tuesday said.
Weah, who recently returned to Liberia following a tour of the region, told Agence Frnace-Presse: ”We looked at together what to do so that our country can be calm like it was in the past, I mean before the civil war. I told the president that I wish for her a good government that will satisfy the many needs of the people.”
It was the first time Weah and Johnson-Sirleaf had met for face-to-face talks since the elections at the end of last year. Johnson-Sirleaf won the second round of the presidential poll with 59,4% of the vote, beating Weah with 40,6% to become the first elected female president of an African state. Weah initially challenged the result but later decided to accept it. – Sapa-AFP