/ 11 July 2003

Uganda welcomes Bush

US President George Bush arrived on Friday for a four-hour visit to Uganda, during which he will meet President Yoweri Museveni and Aids orphans.

Air Force One, the presidential 747, touched down at Uganda’s Entebbe International Airport at around 1:40pm (1040 GMT).

During his lightning visit to Uganda, Bush will hold talks with Museveni on trade and, in particular, US legislation offering qualifying African countries preferential access to US markets.

The two leaders were also due to discuss the crisis in northern Uganda which has been devastated by 17 years of rebel conflict, before Bush meets Aids orphans and then heads on to Nigeria on Friday evening.

A military helicopter hovered over Entebbe airport as the US leader’s plane landed.

A 21-gun salute boomed as Bush disembarked. The national anthems of the two countries were then played, after which Bush inspected a guard of honour mounted by the Ugandan army.

Ugandan school children and US citizens resident in the east African country waved as Bush arrived. Traditonal dancers were also on hand to greet the US president, who shook hands with some of the entertainers and even tapped the ground with his foot in appreciation of the beat.

Uganda is the penultimate stop on a five-nation tour of Africa which Bush began Tuesday in Senegal. The tour has also taken the US leader to South Africa and Botswana. He is due to return to Washington on Saturday. – Sapa-AFP