13 February 2008

U.S. Strongly Committed to Development and Stability in Africa

National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley briefs on Bush Africa trip

Washington -- President and Mrs. Bush’s trip to Benin, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ghana and Liberia February 15-21 will demonstrate America’s “strong commitment” to economic growth and development and to peace and stability across the African continent, says National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley.

“The president has partnered with African leaders to increase development assistance, support greater prosperity through increased trade and investment and work closely with international organizations to increase international involvement -- both public and private -- in African development,” Hadley adds.

In addition, President Bush’s partnership with allies, regional leaders and subregional organizations has helped wind down wars in Liberia, Sierra Leone, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Angola and Burundi and the North-South conflict in Sudan, Hadley explained February 13 at a White House briefing in advance of the trip. The United States also is leading international efforts,” he said, “to help stop the genocide in Darfur.”

The United States has trained more than 44,000 African peacekeepers from 19 countries and has trained more than 80 percent of African peacekeepers who currently are deployed in African Union and U.N. peacekeeping missions inside and outside of Africa, he said.

Hadley outlined the following expected highlights of the trip:

In Benin, the president and Mrs. Bush will meet with President Thomas Yayi. “In October, 2007 -- with support from the President’s Malaria Initiative -- the government of Benin launched one of the largest anti-malaria campaigns, designed to reach all children under the age of 5,” Hadley said.

While there, Bush will discuss the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) development program and his African Education Initiative (AEI) and their role in promoting economic progress and development in Benin.

In Tanzania, Bush will meet with President Jakaya Kikwete and sign an MCC Compact -- “the largest in the Millennium Challenge Corporation’s history,” which will affect nearly 5 million people.

Bush also will discuss the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) program to combat HIV/AIDS in Tanzania.  While there he also will travel to Arusha and tour several facilities, including a textile mill that produces insecticide-treated bed nets for the prevention of malaria. He also will visit a school and a hospital.

“As a focus country for the President’s Malaria Initiative [PMI],” Hadley said, “Tanzania has seen the number of malaria cases among children on the isle of Zanzibar drop by 95 percent from 2005 to 2007.” The PMI has provided spraying operations that have protected nearly 170,000 residents and provided 700,000 treatments and furnished more than 1.9 million bed nets -- particularly for infants and pregnant women.

In Rwanda, the president and Mrs. Bush will pay respects at the Kigali Memorial Center for the 1995 genocide. Bush also will meet with President Paul Kagame and see Rwandan troops who have been trained as peacekeepers by the United States.

Rwanda was the first country to deploy peacekeepers to Darfur as part of the African Union mission in August 2004. The United States, Hadley said, has trained nearly 7,000 Rwandan troops and spent more than $17 million to help equip and transport Rwandan troops to Sudan.

Before traveling on to Ghana, Bush will help dedicate a new U.S. Embassy in Kigali.

In Ghana, Bush will meet with President John Kufuor and visit with Peace Corps volunteers and Ghanaian entrepreneurs who have benefited from U.S. assistance and are taking advantage of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).

Besides business, Hadley called Ghana a “target country” in the president’s African Education Initiative (AEI), which is currently training some 20,000 African teachers.

Finally, the president will travel to Liberia for meetings with Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. Hadley praised Liberia as an “emerging democracy in West Africa” that is taking “significant steps to correct past human rights deficiencies” and promote good governance and transparency.

Asked if there is a chance for a breakthrough on Darfur, Hadley said: “What we are seeing there is progress. It is very slow progress. I think the president would say it is ‘too slow ….’ The key there is to get this AU-U.N. force deployed. That would put 20,000-25,000 peacekeepers on the ground. It will assure a secure situation and a context for the rebels to organize themselves and the government to sit down and try to negotiate the peace."

On Kenya, Hadley said the situation there is a “source of great concern.” The president will want to talk to all of the leaders of the countries he is visiting about the crisis there, Hadley said, which he called “a great tragedy” and “a step backward.”

Three things are needed in Kenya, he said: the parties must agree to stop the violence; humanitarian assistance must be facilitated; and a power-sharing arrangement must be worked out to allow government to function so that “at some point, free and fair elections” can take place.

Hadley said the trip affords the president a firsthand look at U.S. programs on the ground, how they are functioning and the progress they are making.

See the transcript of Hadley’s remarks.