An uncertain calm held in Liberia yesterday after rebels and loyalists came under fresh US pressure to lay down their guns, the commander of west African peacekeepers said.

Nigerian General Festus Okonkwo said: "There have been no reports of fighting overnight. Everything is quiet at the moment".

Rejoicing over Taylor's resignation and departure on Monday was cut short only a day later, when fighting resumed in the second port city of Buchanan between pro-government forces and the Movement for Democracy in Liberia (Model), a rebel group based in the south.

"There was a problem between the militias and Model but I received no further reports," of fighting, Okonkwo said.

His Ecomil peacekeepers were despatched towards Buchanan after a request from Model, who said it was the target of attacks.

Taylor's escape into exile in Nigeria was hailed by leaders worldwide as a sign that Liberia's nearly ceaseless conflict for 14 years could be brought to a close, and Africa lauded the efforts of regional peace brokering.

But hopes for imminent peace were dashed when the country's main rebel group, Lurd, said it would not accept new President Moses Blah.

"We want to lead the interim government," Sekou Fofana, the deputy secretary general of Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (Lurd), said, adding that Blah, Taylor's former vice president and guerrilla comrade, was too closely identified with the former president.

The US stepped up pressure late Tuesday on the rebels, warning that groups, which continued fighting could find themselves excluded from future governments.

"Those responsible for re-instigating violence clearly have no concern for the best interests of the Liberian people," deputy State Department spokesperson Philip Reeker said.

Referring specifically to Model, Reeker said: "Their actions threaten further the safety and security of the Liberian people and will call into question the suitability of those responsible as partners in the future Liberian government".

The US warning was backed by the presence of some 3 000 marines on ships off the Liberian coast, which a senior defence official said could serve as a rapid-reaction force to support west African peacekeepers. – Sapa.