ILDA JACOBS, Washington | Wednesday
PRESIDENT Thabo Mbeki’s working visit to the United States to meet with President George W Bush at the White House, has been met by a hostile media.
The Washington Post ran a scathing article on Tuesday about the growing aversion in South Africa to Mbeki’s leadership.
Mbeki was compared to former US president Richard Nixon ”whose thin skin and grievances against enemies real and imagined led to his political downfall.”
Media criticism largely centered around Mbeki’s perceived failure to prioritise the HIV/Aids issue.
”President Thabo Mbeki, who once expressed doubts that Aids was caused by a virus, did not attend the UNAids session despite his visit to Washington this week,” the New York Times reported.
At a White House press conference, Bush praised Mbeki for his ”imaginative real leadership”, however.
Mbeki told the press corps that people must look at what ”we’re actually doing in the country.”
”People must look at what we’re doing in South Africa, not their perception of what they think we’re doing. And I don’t think on the basis of facts, an accusation like that can be sustained,” said Mbeki in response to criticism about the South Africa government’s stance towards HIV/Aids.
The discussion between the two presidents centered around the Millenium Africa Recovery Plan and its impact within the region.
”If you’re talking about an African recovery, you cannot but discuss Aids, and really confront it,” Mbeki stressed.
Mbeki said the Millenium Africa Recovery Plan focused on HIV/Aids and other infectious diseases.
”We have to do something, because in many instances, these are diseases not only caused by poverty, some of them also cause poverty,” Mbeki said.
Bush and Mbeki also discussed the now defunct US/SA bi-national commission (BNC) and a structure for continued bilateral relations.
A joint secretariat will be established to coordinate the activities of ten existing working groups that were established in the BNC.
Cooperative efforts in the critical areas of agriculture, conservation, environment, water, defense, health, housing, human resource development and education, justice and anti-crime, science and technology, sustainable energy and trade and investment, will be continued.
The two presidents also shared their concerns about conflict areas in Africa such as the Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola.
Both presidents expressed a mutual desire for a democratic Zimbabwe.
White House officials confirmed that the two presidents also condemned human rights violations in Sudan.
According to the officials, the new administration will maintain special strategic relationships with both South Africa and Nigeria. – African Eye News Service
ZA*NOW:
USA to help Africa turn the corner June 27 2001
Mbeki, Bush hunker down June 26 2001
Mbeki MAPS out African recovery plan June 8 2001
FEATURES:
Out of America or Africa? June 5, 2001
A ‘less is more’ policy for Africa April 23 2001