The dispatch of U.N. peacekeepers to Liberia is the first real sign of progress in the search for peace in that war-torn country. The first soldiers were members of a West African force. While it is right and proper that fellow Africans take the lead in stabilizing the situation in Liberia, peace will prove enduring only if the international community provides support for the peacekeeping effort and offers long-term economic assistance to eliminate the conditions that breed helplessness, violence and instability.

Liberia has been wracked by war for decades. One of the chief instigators, and prime beneficiaries, of the violence is President Charles Taylor. Mr. Taylor, a former rebel leader who took office via a national election, has since done his best to destabilize neighboring countries as a means of consolidating his power, increasing his influence in the region and fattening his bank accounts.

While the crafty Mr. Taylor has faced many challenges, none has proven as formidable as the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy, a rebel group that controls most of the country and has besieged the capital of Monrovia. The president first promised to leave office June 4, but the unveiling of a war crimes indictment during a visit to Sierra Leone scuttled those talks and forced Mr. Taylor to return home. He has since hunkered down, demanding the dismissal of that indictment as a condition for leaving office.