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18 November 2009

White House Senior Adviser Gavin Discusses U.S.-Angolan Relations

United States wants to be responsible partner with Angola

By Charles W. Corey
Staff Writer

Washington — There are new opportunities ahead in U.S.-Angolan relations. A spirit of partnership exists that is focused on the future rather than the past, and the United States wants to be a responsible partner and capitalize on opportunities that now exist to move the bilateral relationship forward, says President Obama’s senior White House adviser on African affairs, Michelle Gavin.

Addressing the November 17 one-day forum on “The New Angola: Forging a Strategic Partnership,” at the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars in Washington, Gavin reiterated Obama’s words from his speech in Accra in July, where he said the future of U.S.-Africa partnerships must be grounded in mutual responsibility and respect, with the goal of helping Africa achieve “transformational change.” (See “Obama’s Speech in Ghana.”)

Such change, Gavin said, has been the overall goal of Angola since it emerged from “terrible civil conflict to a new phase and a new page in its history.”

Gavin is the senior director for African affairs at the National Security Council (NSC), which is the president’s principal forum for considering national security and foreign policy matters with his senior national security advisers and Cabinet officials. Since its inception under President Harry Truman, the NSC has advised and assisted the president on national security and foreign policy and serves as the president’s principal arm for coordinating policies in these areas among various government agencies.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s August 9–10 trip to Angola, Gavin said, was an attempt to “capitalize on this moment in time and new opportunity” for peace and stability there after 27 years of conflict. Those conditions, Gavin said — echoing Clinton’s remarks — have given the Angolan people the opportunity to realize their great potential and the Angolan government the opportunity and responsibility to demonstrate that democracy, peace and stability deliver results for people.

Clinton’s “enthusiasm for the potential of this partnership was evident and it was infectious during her visit,” Gavin recalled. “I had the privilege of traveling with her, and she was clearly seized with the opportunities that we have before us and the warmth of the reception” that both she and her delegation received in Luanda.

Gavin said the United States wants to be a responsible partner so that “[the opportunity] to move forward in our relationship and support the Angolan people does not slip from our grasp. The government of Angola, too, is seized with its responsibilities to continue forging ahead with the country’s transformation.”

Important steps in transforming the U.S.-Angola partnership are already under way, she said, such as the recent signing of a U.S.-Angolan trade and investment framework agreement (TIFA) that will give shape and direction to the relationship, and an agreement by both nations to cooperate closely in the fight against HIV/AIDS. On November 16, she added, the United States and Angola launched a new strategic partnership dialogue aimed at institutionalizing bilateral cooperation on a wide array of topics from agricultural development to energy security.

“So we have an extraordinary moment in time, a sense of opportunity and two willing partners,” she said.

Summarizing President Obama’s vision for U.S.-Africa engagement, Gavin said: “President Obama has consistently stressed the fundamental importance of sound governance for stability and growth,” which goes beyond elections to include strong institutions, civic participation, civic responsibility and transparency, so citizens can hold their governments accountable. Sound governance not only strengthens the state, she said, but also helps diversify and attract international investment. “Where the rule of law prevails, where transparency characterizes the work of government, investment climates are far more inviting and jobs and growth far more likely to flourish,” she explained.

While the United States can help with technical support, she said, “strengthening governance is primarily an African project.” The foundation of strong governance, she added, allows for progress on other fronts, such as the pursuit of development strategies that will help Africa’s “youthful populations” — the tremendous numbers of young people who are now coming into the labor market looking for jobs.

Additionally, Gavin said smart agricultural development is at the heart of the administration’s food security initiative. “Yes, we want to end hunger, but the vision is actually far more ambitious. We want to harness the power of science and entrepreneurship and hard work to make agriculture an engine of hard work with real transformational capacity.”

Energy is another sector that offers great opportunity for Africa in general and Angola in particular. Gavin praised Angola not only for what she called its mature and valuable oil sector but also for exploring the possibility of providing renewable energy to bring reliable power to more Angolans.

Gavin said the United States is committed to exploring a “stronger and more coherent African security architecture.” As Angola enjoys stability and peace, she said, its potential to be an important leader in promoting stability and security elsewhere in the region becomes all the more evident and promising.

The challenge in the new U.S.-Angolan partnership, Gavin said, is “implementation, making sure that an opportunity recognized and identified actually becomes an opportunity seized, something we think a lot about at the White House.”