Embattled President Charles Taylor accepted an offer of asylum in Nigeria on Sunday, but gave no timeframe for quitting power and insisted the transition must be orderly. He urged the United States to send peacekeepers.

The calls by Taylor and Nigeria's leader for a peaceful transition increase pressure on President Bush to send U.S. troops to Liberia to enforce a cease-fire in the war-torn nation. Bush heads to Africa on Monday for visits to five nations _ including Nigeria, the top powerbroker in West Africa.

A team of 15 U.S. military experts were heading to Liberia late Sunday to begin assessing whether to deploy troops as part of a regional force, as the Untied Nations, European powers and the Liberians have sought. West African nations have offered 3,000 troops and have suggested that the United States contribute another 2,000.

Taylor is under intense international pressure to step down _ Bush has said he would "not take 'no' for an answer' _ and is holed up in a capital surrounded by rebels. But he has insisted peacekeepers deploy before he will go to ensure fighting does not erupt again.[...]