Bush tells of 'exciting' trip
2008-02-22 14:02
Washington - President George W Bush called his Africa trip one of the most exciting of his presidency while acknowledging that it has been eclipsed for now by excitement over the US presidential campaign at home.
The US leader savoured the warm reception he received in Africa and enthused over US-backed programmes he hopes will be seen as a lasting part of his legacy, as he flew home on Thursday aboard the presidential jet Air Force One.
"I would say this is one of the most exciting trips of my presidency," he said, evoking US-backed peace efforts and programmes to fight Aids and malaria in several African countries, as well as the enthusiastic reception he enjoyed, now rare for the unpopular president in the waning days of his mandate.
"And what really made me happy was that the people of Africa have come to appreciate the generosity of the American people," he said.
"I mean, you saw the crowds, you saw the enthusiasm," he told reporters who travelled with him on the five-country trip in which he doled out more than one billions dollars in aid and redoubled promises of lasting friendship.
Bush urged feuding Kenyan leaders to accept a power-sharing deal to end weeks of deadly clashes and sent US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to Nairobi to throw Washington's weight behind the plan - with no immediate results.
In Rwanda, Bush paid sombre tribute to the victims of the 1994 genocide but said his conscience was clear on his decision not to send US troops to try to end the violence in Sudan's Darfur region, which he has also dubbed genocide.
Bush's trip opened in Benin, where he urged feuding Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga to accept a power-sharing deal in talks negotiated by former UN chief Kofi Annan.
In Tanzania, the next stop, he signed a $698m Millenium Challenge Compact, the largest ever package of aid specially designed to reward democratic, anti-corruption, and free market reforms.
He also pushed US lawmakers to quickly approve his proposal to double US monies to fight HIV/Aids from $15bn over five years to $30bn, while pushing a new anti-malaria plan in the country's safari capital, Arusha.
In Ghana, the US president unveiled a $350m campaign to battle neglected tropical diseases like hook worm and elephantiasis, and strove to downplay ever-hotter US-China rivalries in Africa.
For his final stop, Bush became the first US president in 30 years to visit Liberia, where he offered one million textbooks and desks and seating for 10 000 students to help the country recover from decades of civil strife.
Bush also repeatedly cast US aid to the continent, which he has sharply increased, not as an act of guilt but one of equal partnership and self-interest, warning that desperation fuelled extremist attacks.