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"The Taylor process shows we don't allow diamonds any more as a way to finance violence and human rights abuses," she said. Taylor's testimony aims to persuade judges that the 91 prosecution witnesses called since January 2008 were lying. Some of those witnesses claimed Taylor shipped weapons to rebels in rice sacks in contravention of an arms embargo and in return got diamonds smuggled out of mines in Sierra Leone in mayonnaise jars. Taylor flatly denied that allegation. "Never, ever did I receive -- whether it is mayonnaise or coffee or whatever jar
-- any diamonds from the RUF," he said, referring to the Revolutionary United Front rebel group he allegedly supported. "It is a lie, a diabolical lie." Griffiths said Monday that Taylor will testify about his "strenuous efforts to bring peace in Sierra Leone." Taylor completed an economics degree in the United States and military training in Libya before rising to power as a rebel warlord in Liberia and being elected president in 1997. He is accused of supporting the RUF in Sierra Leone in its fight to depose President Joseph Momoh and his successors. Prosecutors say Taylor trained in Libya with the RUF's leader, Foday Sankoh. But Taylor said he never plotted with Sankoh to invade "that friendly country," Sierra Leone. He also denied ever ordering rebels to hack off the hands of their enemies
-- the signature atrocity of the Sierra Leone conflict. "It is wrong. It never happened in Liberia, I would never ever have accepted that in Liberia and we would never have encouraged that in Sierra Leone," he said.
[Associated
Press;
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