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[This article has been excerpted.]

MONROVIA, Liberia (PANA) – Envoys of the chairman of the Economic Community of West African states, President Jerry Rawlings of Ghana, have returned to Liberia in another attempt to secure a cease-fire in the 11-day factional fighting that has devastated the Capital, Monrovia.

The delegation, led by Kojo Tsikata left Wednesday and will…try to obtain the release of about 400 hostages, including some West African peace monitoring troops and about 20 Lebanese families, held inside the Barclays Military Training Centre.

Other members of the delegation to be joined in the negotiations by United Nations representatives include Mohamed Ibn Chambas, Ghana’s Deputy Foreign Minister; Brig. Francis Agyemfra, Ghana’s armed forces Chief-of-Staff and William Brandful, a foreign ministry official.

Last week, the delegation held three days of intensive negotiations with Liberia’s ruling Council of State and some militia leaders. …it failed to secure a durable cease-fire or the release of the hostages.

Fighting flared April 6, when the Council of state ordered the arrest of ULIMO-J factional leader Roosevelt Johnson on murder charges, following clashes with rival militia. The Council had dismissed Johnson a week earlier from his post as minister of rural development.