MONROVIA: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Liberia on Monday ahead of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf's inauguration for a second six-year term in office.
"Liberia has been a close friend of the United States for so many years," said Clinton upon her arrival.
She said Sirleaf "has done a remarkable job of rebuilding her country".
"It is important because Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is the only female president in Africa."
Some 30 heads of state are expected to attend the swearing-in of Sirleaf, a joint winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011, in the $1.2 million (900,000 euro) inauguration which will include a massive parade in the capital and festivities around the country.
"This is an opportunity for the United States to express our appreciation for the outstanding job she has done, to acknowledge the success of her recent election, to applaud her for her Nobel prize," said Clinton.
Liberia's presidential run-off election on November 8 plunged the nation into crisis as the main opposition candidate, Winston Tubman, boycotted the poll -- billed as an opportunity to cement a fragile democracy eight years after the end of a 14-year conflict that killed 250,000 people.
A protest march called by him on the eve of the election turned bloody as police opened fire on his supporters to disperse stone-throwers, killing up to four people.
Sirleaf eventually won 90.7 percent of votes in the run-off and Tubman, who had alleged fraud, initially refused to accept her victory.
However Tubman and his Congress for Democratic Change on Sunday abandoned plans to protest the inauguration and accepted Sirleaf as president after lengthy and difficult negotiations.
"We recognize that Madam Sirleaf is the president of Liberia," Tubman said.
"Since the elections, we have been holding negotiations with the government on how to resolve the disagreement... and having had fruitful discussions, we feel confident that the CDC will be incorporated in the government," he added.
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