From: Biniam Haile \(SWE\) (eritrea.lave@comhem.se)
Date: Wed Jun 24 2009 - 10:01:35 EDT
U.S. Official Sheds Light on Possible Upcoming Obama Africa Policy
By James Butty
24 June 2009
The new U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs said the
Obama administration plans to invest substantial amounts of money over
the coming years in agricultural development to promote food security in
Africa.
Ambassador Johnnnie Carson spoke Monday in Washington to a constituency
of Africa advocacy groups.
He outlined what is likely to be the Obama administration's Africa
policies for the next four years.
Carson told the African American Unity Caucus that over the next four
years the Obama administration will focus on four key issues as part of
its Africa policy.
These, he said, include promoting and strengthening democratic
institutions and the rule of law, preventing and resolving conflicts,
encouraging sustained growth and working with African countries to
address what he called the new and old global challenges.
Ambassador Carson praised Africa for the progress the continent has made
over the last 15 years in strengthening democratic institutions. He
referenced recent successful elections in Ghana, South Africa and
Malawi.
But he said challenges still remain as evident by recent electoral
problems in Zimbabwe and Kenya. He said Washington will do all it can to
help strengthen democratic institutions.
"We constantly have to encourage those in civil society to be the voice
and conscience of their countries, and we have to promote constitutional
democratic governments, strong court systems, strong legislatures,
regular elections, free media, and religious tolerance," he said.
Carson praised the African Union for the role it played in resolving the
conflicts in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Angola.
He said challenges also remain as evident by the continued conflicts in
Somalia, eastern Congo, and Sudan.
"We have to do as much as we possibly can to help resolve those
conflicts," Carson said.
Carson said President Obama has taken a keen interest in resolving the
conflict by his appointment of General Scott Gration as special envoy on
Sudan.
He said the Obama administration plans to focus on food security and
agricultural development in Africa.
"The administration plans over a number of years to put a substantial
amount of money into agricultural development to do two things. One is
to lift people out of poverty and the other one is to help
grow.agriculture," Carson said.
On what he called the new and old global challenges, Ambassador Carson
said the Obama administration plans to work with African countries to
address the issues of climate change and illicit drug trafficking
Carson said President Obama will elaborate on some of these topics when
the president visits Ghana on July this year, the earliest visit to
Africa by a sitting American president.
http://www.voanews.com/english/Africa/2009-06-24-voa3.cfm
<http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/media/ALeqM5iPIC0yIvaAcm71vCIrqnoL
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