Bush arrives in Africa
2008-02-16 11:47
Cotonou - President George W Bush began a five-nation tour of Africa on Saturday that will highlight US health, education and pro-democracy projects there and also seek to advance efforts to end Kenya's post-election crisis.
Bush, accompanied by his wife Laura, arrived in the small
West African state of Benin, the first stop on a trip that will
also take him to Tanzania, Rwanda, Ghana and Liberia.
They were greeted by a military honour guard and a group of
colourfully-dressed women dancers who bobbed to traditional
African music at Benin's Cadjehoun international airport.
Bush was meeting Benin President Thomas Boni Yayi in a brief
stopover before flying on to Tanzania.
Bush's visit, his second to Africa, takes him to five
countries carefully chosen to show a different face from the
poverty-plagued and conflict-stricken continent normally
portrayed by the world's media.
Benin, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ghana and Liberia are now
relatively stable states whose presidents are viewed by
Washington as a new generation of leaders with democratic
credentials who can show the positive potential of Africa.
"(President Bush) believes all of these countries, their
leaders, are on the path of the kinds of governments that we
want to partner with," White House national security adviser
Stephen Hadley told reporters aboard Air Force One before Bush
arrived in Benin. "They're all work in progress," he added.
Not visiting crisis countries
Although Bush is not visiting African countries in crisis or
turmoil such as Sudan's Darfur or Kenya, the White House hopes
his visit will lend weight to moves to resolve the Kenyan
post-election conflict that has killed 1 000 people.
Bush has announced plans to send Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice to Kenya during his Africa tour.
Hadley said Rice's visit to Kenya would last only "a matter
of hours" and was intended to help accelerate a proposed deal
between the government and opposition which is being brokered by
former United Nations chief Kofi Annan.
"It's basically to go in, give some impetus, but then step
out and let Kofi Annan continue his diplomacy," he said.
"They're making incremental progress towards a political
framework whereby there would be a way ahead. Still working on
power sharing, still working on a way to resolve questions about
the elections," Hadley said.