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| US keen for stronger ties with Nigeria - Clinton
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Abuja, Nigeria (PANA) -
Visiting American Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sai
d here Wednesday
the US was keen to see ''the development of stronger ties'' with Nigeria.
Clinton spoke during talks with host Foreign Affairs Minister Ojo Maduekwe, her
first assignment since
arriving Tuesday night in Nigeria, the fifth leg of her seven-nation, 11-day Afr
ican swing.
The talks culminated in the agreement to set up a bi-national commission between
the two countries to
further promote relations between them.
Clinton later told a news conference that the proposed bi-national commission wo
uld look at a ``broad range
of issuesâ?â? at the national, state and local levels.
She said America saw Nigeria as an important ally, and that because of its (Nige
riaâ?s) leadership role in Africa, it was critical for the country to succeed.
``Without Nigeria, Liberia would not have been free and Sierra Leone would not b
e in peace,â?â? Clinton said, commending Nigeriaâ?s peacekeeping
role in the world.
Clinton also noted that Nigeria had spoken out against coups and dictatorship in
Mauritania, Guinea, Niger Republic and Zimbabwe, and that the Nigerian military
was collaborating with the American Armed Forces in the Gulf of Guinea to check
r
ebel movements, drug trafficking and gun running.
The U.S will provide support to Nigeria for the 2011 elections, she promised, sa
ying that the U.S. supported efforts by the Yarâ?Adua administration to resolve
the crisis in Nigeria's oil producing Niger Delta region.
On corruption, Clinton said other African countries could learn from Botswana, w
hich ``has a vibrant democracy and a stable economyâ?â?.
She said Botswana had developed a legal framework that ensured that money from i
ts export, diamonds, was spent for the benefit of the people.
``Being a sovereign nation, itâ?s left to you, Nigerians, to decide whether to
learn from Botswanaâ?s example or not. But we will do our best to put measures i
n
place to ensure that Africaâ?s natural resources are used for the benefit of th
e people,â? Clinton said
Also speaking at the news conference, Maduekwe admitted the ``historic injustice
â?â? done to the Niger Delta region, but said government was addressing the pro
blem.
He expressed optimism that the amnesty granted to the oil militants by the Yarâ
?Adua administration would lead to the restoration of peace and hasten developme
n
t
in the area.
The Minister denied that Nigeria was a haven for Islamic extremists, saying: ``W
e donâ?t have suicidal impulses.''
''We love life. We know there is a heaven, but we donâ?t want to get there by d
oing stupid things. Fanaticism cannot take root in Nigeria,â?â? he assured.
Maduekwe said the security agencies were looking into the possibility of foreign
involvement in the recent Boko Haram crisis in Kano, Bauchi, Yobe and Borno
states in the predominantly-Muslim northern Nigeria, which left about 800 people
dead and displaced 4,000..
The talks were attended by the Ministers of Defence, Health, Niger Delta Affairs
, Internal Affairs, Information and Communications as well as Gov. Bukola Saraki
of northern
Kwara state.
Clinton, who earlier met with political leaders, was due to meet President Yar'A
dua before hosting a town hall meeting Wednesday evening.
She is due to leave Abuja Thursday for Liberia, the next stop on the visit which
has taken her to Kenya, South Africa, Angola and DR Congo.
The whirlwind itinerary will end in Cape Verde.
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| Abuja - 12/08/2009 |
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