Bush meets President Sirleaf and backs debt relief for Liberia

US President George W Bush pledged his support for lowering Liberia's debt at an International Monetary Fund gathering this weekend in Washington. Bush told Liberian President Ellen Sirleaf-Johnson during a meeting at the White House Thursday that the United States will urge the international financier to help reduce the African country's debt.
"It's very important for our friends in the IMF to recognize that debt relief for Liberia is part of our agenda, and I would hope that they would help you," Bush said.
The IMF, which consists of 185 member countries and aims to promote economic growth in underdeveloped countries, will hold a joint three-day conference with the World Bank beginning Saturday.
Liberia has begun emerging from two civil wars from 1989 to 1996 and 1999 to 2003 that devastated the West African country's economy.
Bush said the United States will continue to support education and combating malaria in Liberia and the rest of the African continent. Bush said plans were being drawn up to reintroduce the US Peace Corps to Liberia.
Sirleaf-Johnson said Liberia has made progress since the civil wars but still faces "many challenges," including the threat posed by malaria, which is a leading killer of Liberian children.