OSLO, Oct 15 (Reuters) - The president of Liberia urged Norway on Monday to help reduce Liberia's international debt by opening its borders to more African imports and boosting investment in the Liberian private sector. Liberia is saddled with heavy debts after a civil war in 1989-2003 devastated the economy and killed and displaced hundreds of thousands of people. "Norway can, as part of the efforts of Europe, open its borders to imports from Africa," President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf told reporters in Oslo. "We hope that Norwegian business people and business organisations will come (to Liberia) because we want to see our private sector as a main engine for growth," said Africa's first elected woman head of state who took office in January 2006. The president noted that Norwegian cement producers -- now part of Germany's HeidelbergCement group <HEIG.DE> -- have been in Liberia since the 1960s, and she said she hoped Norway could expand its activities to other areas. "We would like to see them expand their activities and look at other areas where the private sector might join in the use of our vast natural resources," she said. Liberia is endowed with natural resources such as iron ore, diamonds, rubber, timber and coffee. The International Monetary Fund has said that Liberia's foreign debt of around $4 billion is too high and has called on donor countries to make commitments to write it off. Liberia's debt to Norway totals 249 million Norwegian crowns ($46.20 million), which includes late interest which makes up the bulk of the sum, a Norwegian foreign ministry official said. Norway is prepared to cancel a large part of Liberia's debt once the country enters the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative, a debt relief programme administered by the IMF and the World Bank. "We hope that will happen this year or early next year," Per Kristian Roer, a foreign ministry adviser, said. Norway is willing to cancel the whole debt in step with certain milestones if Liberia completes the HIPC programme, he said.
