Against a backdrop of promised peace in Africa and possible war in the Gulf, President George Bush on Friday met with leaders of 11 African nations, many in the thick of that continent’s oil production.
Bush told leaders of Central African nations that he wanted to work hand-in-hand with them to battle terrorism and bring prosperity to the African continent. He was meeting separately with officials of West African nations before returning to Washington from the UN General Assembly, which he challenged on Thursday to confront Iraq’s Saddam Hussein.
Divided among two sessions, the leaders of these countries met with the president: Republic of Congo, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Rwanda, South Africa, and Sao Tome and Principe, an island nation off West Africa.
Bush began the first meeting a bit early, leaving President Fradique de Menezes of Sao Tome and Principe to walk in as the US president was already speaking to news cameras.
”I didn’t mean to embarrass you,” Bush later told Menezes.
The talks focused mostly on trade and development, the Aids pandemic ravaging Africa, increased international funds for the continent and Bush’s interest in seeing democratic political reforms and anti-corruption measures enforced. He believes such reforms will lead to an increased flow of international capital into Africa, said White House representative Sean McCormack.
Bush also wanted to try to shore up the fragile peace agreement between Rwanda and Congo, and to lay the groundwork for his first trip to Africa, which is planned for early in the new year, McCormack said.
The Democratic Republic of Congo signed a peace agreement on July 30 with Rwanda to end a four-year, six-nation war that has sown instability on the African continent. But each country recently has accused the other of violating the pact.
Most of the countries on Bush’s guest list for Friday are either already steady oil producers or in the heart of West Africa’s oil exploration boom, which now provides the United States with 15% of its oil.
Their leaders’ audiences with Bush come as the Bush administration seeks secure oil ahead of a threatened conflict with Iraq, a major exporter.
President Menezes announced late last month that Sao Tome and Principe, a former Portuguese colony believed to be sitting on massive and largely untapped oil reserves, had reached agreement with the United States for establishment of a US naval base there.
The United States has not confirmed any plans for the base, although a US general led an American delegation to Sao Tome this summer for talks on the subject. – Sapa-AP