|
|
| Clinton's trip to underscore US commitment to Africa
|
|
|
| |
Washington, US (PANA) -
The 11-day trip to Africa by US Secretary of State Hill
ary Clinton will highlight and underscore
the Obama Administration’s commitment to making Africa a priority in U.S. foreig
n policy, according to Assistant Secretary of
State Johnnie Carson.
Briefing journalists in Washington Thursday on the 7-nation visit, due to start
on 4 Aug., Ambassador Carson said the trip, coming
shortly after President Barack Obama's visit to Ghana, would be ''the earliest t
rip by the Secretary of State and the President to Africa
of any previous administration''.
Clinton is billed to travel to Kenya, South Africa, Angola, the Democratic Repub
lic of the Congo, Nigeria, Liberia, and Cape Verde,
starting on 4 August and returning to the US on 14 August.
The trip will start at the U.S.-Sub-Saharan Africa Trade and Economic Cooperatio
n Forum, known mostly as the AGOA Forum, in Nairobi,
Kenya, where she will deliver a speech at the ministerial opening ceremony of th
e forum on 5 August.
According to Carson, the Secretary of State, while in Kenya, will meet with Pres
ident Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
''She will encourage both of those leaders to move forward with their efforts to
rewrite the country’s constitution and to prevent a return to the kind
of violence that erupted in that country in January and February of 2007, follow
ing the very difficult and flawed presidential elections there,'' he said.
From Kenya, the Secretary will move on to South Africa, where she will have an o
pportunity to meet the leadership of South Africa’s new government.
''She will meet with President Jacob Zuma, and she will also meet with South Afr
ica’s new Foreign Minister, Ambassador Mashabane. This will give us
an opportunity to talk with South African leaders about issues such as Zimbabwe
and HIV/AIDS. The United States and South Africa have much in common.
The Secretary will use this to strengthen an important relationship in South Afr
ica with a country which is the engine of that region’s growth,'' Ambassador Car
s
on
said.
From South Africa, the Secretary will move on to Angola.
Carson said: ''Angola is one of the largest energy producers in sub-Saharan Afri
ca and is a major supplier of both petroleum and LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) to
t
he U.S.
market. The Secretary will meet with President Dos Santos, and she will also ren
ew her acquaintance with the Angolan Foreign Minister with whom she met here in
Washington approximately a month ago. It is the desire to strengthen that relati
onship with one of Southern Africa’s emerging countries, a country which has eno
r
mous economic potential.
The next stop for Clinton after Angola will be the Democratic Republic of the Co
ngo, where she will have two stops.
''She will go to Kinshasa first and then will proceed the next day to Goma in th
e eastern region. She intends to meet with President Kabila and the Congolese Fo
r
eign Minister.
During that stop, the Secretary wants to put a great deal of focus on the issue
of sexual- and gender-based violence which is occurring in the eastern Congo.
''As many of you know, the eastern Congo has been torn by civil strife, a great
deal of conflict since 1994, 1995, largely as a result of the movement of ex-gen
o
cidaires from
Rwanda into the eastern Congo. The Secretary is deeply concerned about the gende
r-based violence, which is occurring in the eastern Congo, will underscore Ameri
c
a’s
commitment to try to end this gender-based violence, and will meet with some of
the victims who have suffered from it,'' the US official said.
He added: ''The Secretary also intends to encourage and push the Congolese Gover
nment as well as MONUC, the UN peacekeeping force there, to take a much more agg
r
essive
stance against gender-based violence. The Secretary will also encourage the Cong
olese Government to continue its democratic progress, and will also encourage th
e
government to
take action against corruption and to improve its economic and fiscal management
so that it can – its country’s resources can be used for development.''
From the Congo, the Secretary will fly to Abuja, Nigeria.
Carson said ''Nigeria is probably the most important country in Sub-Saharan Afri
ca: 140 million people, 75 million of whom are Muslims. It is also a major sourc
e
of petroleum imports for
the United States. It provides approximately 8 percent of America’s petroleum an
d the largest supply of our sweet crude. Nigeria has also been a major contribut
o
r to stability and
peacekeeping in West Africa.''
While in Nigeria, the Secretary of State will discuss with the Nigerian Governme
nt a range of issues, including West African security, the need to continue to m
o
ve forward in strengthening
its democracy, dealing with corruption, and also promoting stronger economic dev
elopment.
From Nigeria, the Secretary will move on to Liberia, which is one of America's h
istorically most important relationships in Africa.
''The Secretary wants to reaffirm U.S. support for President Ellen Johnson Sirle
af, the only female African president. Liberia, before Johnson Sirleaf became pr
e
sident, had faced 20 years of
intermittent and often very violent conflict. The Secretary wants to use this vi
sit to show and demonstrate U.S. support for the democratic progress that has oc
c
urred in Liberia,
support and reaffirm U.S. commitment to helping in the development assistance ar
ea, and in security sector reform,'' the Assistant Secretary of State said.
The final stop on the itinerary will be in Cape Verde, described by Ambassador C
arson as ''an African success story''.
''It is a country which is democratically run, well managed, and a country which
has used the economic assistance that it has received from the United States, i
n
cluding
a large Millennium Challenge Account Grant, extraordinarily well. It will reaffi
rm our friendship with Cape Verde,'' he said.
|
| |
| Washington - 31/07/2009 |
| |
|
|