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/ 13 February 2007
The visit this week of Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf to the United States has elements of a homecoming as she defends her government’s development policies before a three-day World Bank gathering of international experts and delegates from at least 20 countries.
China’s ambassador portrayed his country on Tuesday as a benign force in Africa that dispatches doctors and teachers to the continent, opens trade opportunities and steers clear of political interference. Zhao Wenzhong said China-Africa trade leaped from -billion in 2000 to -billion last year.
The oil boom in Central and West Africa could result in prosperity or disaster in the region, depending on how wisely the revenues are spent, according to a study released on Wednesday. The report by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies said the growing oil exports of Nigeria and Angola will significantly enhance the global position of the two countries.
South African President Thabo Mbeki said United States assistance to Africa is too focused on individual countries and should be directed in large measure toward the continent as a whole. Mbeki was making a stopover in Washington on Wednesday before heading to the Group of Eight summit at Sea Island, Georgia.
Libyan officials have still not met a UN Security Council requirement that they accept responsibility for the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, the State Department said on Monday.