Ex-Liberian prez wants to hear US radio intercepts

AMSTERDAM — Former Liberian President Charles Taylor called Thursday on the United States and Britain to declassify radio intercepts he says would help clear him of war crimes charges.

Taylor was concluding his fourth week of testimony in his defense against 11 charges of crimes against humanity, including murder, rape and torture, for aiding rebels in Sierra Leone.

Taylor said U.S. and British intelligence agencies could counter the testimony of a prosecution witness who said the Liberian leader had sent radio messages to Sierra Leone rebel factions urging them to cooperate in toppling the government in Freetown, Sierra Leone’s capital.

Taylor denied that. He said any such messages would have been logged by the intelligence services that were listening to open radio chatter.

“Who is silly enough to get on the open radio to talk like this?” he told the U.N.-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone in The Hague.

“You can’t haul me to jail, I mean, for years just on this type of nonsense,” he said. “The United States has the capacity to unravel this case if it chooses to,” he said.

He said the United Nations should ask all member states with evidence to bring it to the courtroom. If it needed to remain classified, he said, the court could go into secret session where confidential information is protected.

Taylor has been systematically attacking prosecution evidence presented since the trial began in January 2008 alleging that he traded weapons for diamonds in Sierra Leone and tried to seize control of the neighboring country by proxy.

He is accused of spurring on the rebels to impose a reign of terror on civilians by hacking off limbs and ears. He has denied any involvement with the insurgents other than encouraging them to negotiate an end to the conflict.

Taylor is the first African head of state to stand trial at an international war crimes court.

He was expected to be on the witness stand for several more weeks.