French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin has called for the deployment of a multinational peacekeeping force in Liberia. De Villepin, visiting neighbouring Ghana, also added to calls for intervention by the United States. His comments came as a ceasefire in the West African nation appeared to be holding. The main rebel force, Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (Lurd), halted its attacks on the capital, Monrovia, on Friday after two days of heavy bombardment. De Villepin, quoted by French news agency AFP, said: "The most pressing things are the ceasefire and the deployment of an international force." He said France and Britain had "assumed their responsibilities" to bring relative peace to their former colonies of Ivory Coast and Sierra Leone, and that the US had a special role to play in Liberia. "There must be a multinational force... Let us together find the best solution," he added. Liberia was founded by freed American slaves in the 19th century. Liberian President Charles Taylor - accused of war crimes during a 10-year civil war in Liberia's neighbour Sierra Leone - and the Lurd rebels have also urged the US to play a role in the peace process. Washington says it has no plans to commit troops, and US President George W Bush has called on President Taylor to stand down "so that his country can be spared further bloodshed". **Mortar fire*** The Liberian Government has said it is taking advantage of the lull in the fighting to improve conditions for civilians in Monrovia. Up to 300 people are reported to have been killed and 1,000 injured during two days of mortar fire into the heart of the city. Hundreds of thousands of people displaced by the fighting are living rough in the city centre and searching for food and water. The price of rice has tripled and many people are trading their possessions for a cupful. The BBC's Paul Welsh, in Monrovia, says the atmosphere is tense but the shooting has not resumed. The only vehicles which move are those overflowing with heavily armed men, he adds. West African mediators in Ghana suspended peace talks for a week after the fighting continued past their deadline of 1000 GMT on Friday for both sides to respect a truce. They said negotiations were too difficult under such circumstances. The Lurd rebels say their subsequent ceasefire was called to avoid a "grotesque humanitarian catastrophe in Monrovia". Last week's ceasefire collapsed after Mr Taylor said he would not step down before the end of his term in January - and then only if war crimes charges against him were dropped. Lurd leaders said he was supposed to stand aside under the terms of the accord. The rebels have been fighting for three years and made their first pushes into the capital this month. The United Nations-backed war crimes court for Sierra Leone has issued an international arrest warrant against the Liberian president, accusing him of backing rebels there who committed gruesome atrocities. **PHOTO CAPTION*** Government troops on a vehicle wait to move off from the port area of Monrovia, Liberia, to advance to the frontline outside the city on Saturday June 28, 2003. (AP Photo/Pewee Flomoku)