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Pres ident Thabo Mbeki's office and the defence ministry yesterday night said no decision had been made yet to deploy South African peacekeepers to strife-torn Liberia.

Spokespersons Bheki Khumalo and Sam Mkhwanazi were commenting after a remark by Ghana's president, John Kufuor, at a ceremony marking the transfer of Liberia's presidency from Charles Taylor to his vice-president, Moses Blah.

Kufuor told 300 dignitaries, including Mbeki, that South Africa would contribute troops to a Nigerian-led West African peacekeeping force already deployed there to separate warring factions.

Mkhwanazi said the question of deploying peacekeepers to Liberia was still being discussed at a political level.

South Africa earlier this month said it was considering a United Nations request to provide troops.

Namibia yesterday offered a two battalion, 1 500 strong, contingent to serve with a UN force in Liberia.

Bangladesh has already pledged a brigade of between 3 000 and 5 000 soldiers to police the troubled west African state's peace process.

Around 700 Nigerian peacekeepers are already bringing a measure of calm to the country, where rebels have fought a three-year campaign to overthrow Taylor.

A US naval task force of three ships and 3 000 US Marines yesterday moved to within sight of Monrovia.

Reports quoted a US defence official in Washington as saying the three amphibious ships were meant to send "a powerful message" to Liberia's warring factions.

The official added that Washington had no plans to send the troops ashore for now.

They were, however, ready to provide logistical support to the Nigerian Ecomil peacekeeping force ashore.

A detachment of South African special forces accompanied Mbeki to Liberia to beef up the president's security while in the civil war-torn state.

Mbeki left Monrovia for Abuja, Nigeria shortly after the ceremony.

He was expected to return to South Africa today.

South Africa already had about 2 700 troops assigned to peacekeeping in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Burundi and about 500 more were scheduled to deploy to the DRC soon.

A number of analysts have cited personnel, cost and equipment constraints as preventing the SA National Defence Force of 60 000 from deploying many more.

For every one soldier deployed, another three were required at home - one in reserve, one preparing for the mission and one resting after having returned. South African peacekeepers are rotated every six months.

In addition, the bulk of any modern military is today involved in supporting operationally deployable troops.

While ratios differ, one rule-of-thumb some defence specialists quote is ten support troops for every soldier deployed. – Sapa.

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