Rwanda News Agency/Agence Rwandaise d'Information (Kigali)
NEWS
25 January 2008
Posted to the web 25 January 2008
Kigali
As the list of world leaders planning to come to Rwanda expands by the day, U.S. President George W. Bush and wife have also scheduled a regional trip including Rwanda, RNA has established.
A statement from the White House says President and Mrs. Bush will travel to Africa from February 15-21. They will visit Rwanda, Benin, Tanzania, Ghana, and Liberia.
Mr. Bush will be the second sitting U.S President to come to Rwanda after former President Bill Clinton was over here and publicly apologized for the U.S. inaction during the 1994 Genocide.
Even after he left office, Mr. Clinton has since become a regular visitor here and his Foundation supports several health projects including a state-of-the-art hospital just outside Kigali.
The Bush trip will be an opportunity for the President to review firsthand the significant progress since his last visit in 2003 in efforts to increase economic development and fight HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other treatable diseases, as a result of the United States robust programs in these areas, the White House statement said.
On his trip, Mr. Bush plans to meet with President Paul Kagame, President Thomas Boni Yayi (Benin), President Jakaya Kikwete (Tanzania), President John Kofi Agyekum Kufuor (Ghana), and President Johnson-Sirleaf (Liberia).
President Bush is to engage these countries on how the United States can continue to partner with African countries.
There will be discussions aimed to support continued democratic reform, respect for human rights, free trade, open investment regimes, and economic opportunity across the continent.
The U.S. government has banks-rolled Rwanda to the tune of some 167 million dollars in 2007 alone. All U.S. funding goes into project support and none into budgetary spending. The U.S. provided up to 7 million dollars in military support last year and more is in the pipeline.
The U.S President is just the latest on the long list of world leaders coming to Rwanda. Next week, Kigali is to host U.N Secretary General Mr. Ban Ki-Moon. In the same period, French Foreign Affairs chief Bernard Kouchner is also expected in Kigali.
In early February, the Federal President of German Mr. Horst Köhler will be on a regional tour including Rwanda.
This week, a delegation led by Belgian Minister for International Development Cooperation has been in Kigali along with senior parliamentarians.
Copyright © 2008 Rwanda News Agency/Agence Rwandaise d'Information. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com).
No comments:
Post a Comment