[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 86 (Wednesday, June 28, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1307]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         PRESIDENT SASSOU-NGUESSO'S MEETING WITH PRESIDENT BUSH

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. EDOLPHUS TOWNS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 28, 2006

  Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, on June 6 of this year, the President of the 
Republic of Congo, Mr. Denis Sassou-Nguesso, met at the White House 
with President Bush.
  Not a mere photo opportunity, this meeting was substantive and 
included discussions of the situation in Darfur (Sudan), terrorism in 
Somalia and other parts of Africa, combating HIV/AIDS, and debt relief.
  These discussions were important because, in addition to being leader 
of his own country, President Sassou-Nguesso serves as chairman of the 
African Union. Congo is also currently a member of the United Nations 
Security Council.
  The two presidents exchanged views on issues of importance to the 
entire African continent, in particular the crisis of Darfur (Sudan), 
the electoral process in Congo's neighbor, the Democratic Republic of 
Congo (DRC), and the situation in the Ivory Coast.
  President Bush welcomed President Sassou-Nguesso's assertion that 
Africa should take the lead in the search for solutions to Africa's 
problems. In regard to the crisis of Darfur, I the two heads of state 
agreed on the sending of U.N. forces to replace those of the African 
Union. There is a delegation of the U.N. Security Council currently 
carrying out a mission in the Central African Republic, and they agreed 
that this mission should remain in place to supervise operations in 
Darfur, the DRC, and Chad. President Sassou-Nguesso thanked President 
Bush for the U.S. leadership in the fight against the HIV pandemic in 
Africa.
  They also discussed ecological management of the Congo Basin and the 
Gulf of Guinea as well as bilateral co-operation between the Republic 
of Congo and the United States. Congo is one of the countries eligible 
to participate in trade and investment opportunities under the terms of 
the African Growth and Opportunity Act of 2000.
  After the meeting, President Bush stated: ``We had a very 
constructive discussion about a variety of issues. We talked about our 
common commitment to help end the genocide in Darfur. I appreciate the 
President's leadership in helping negotiate a peace agreement, and I 
appreciate his leadership in working with the United Nations so we can 
get the AU forces blue-helmeted as quickly as possible.
  ``And one of my interests, of course, is to join with African nations 
in combating HIV/AIDS, and I want to congratulate the President for the 
low infection rate in Congo.''
  For his part, President Sassou-Nguesso said: ``President Bush is 
absolutely right, we discussed a lot of issues that we're all 
interested in: peace, security, and not just in Africa, but beyond 
Africa, in the world. We talked about terrorism, we talked about the 
Iranian nuclear issue, we talked about the dialogue that's about to 
open up, I hope, and that will bring good results to that problem.

  ``And on behalf of all of Africa, I thank President Bush for his 
commitment in fighting AIDS, the commitment of the United States in the 
fight against HIV/AIDS. As you know, we had a special meeting on AIDS 
at the United Nations General Assembly, and as you know also, Africa is 
the continent that suffers the most from this scourge.
  ``And we also talked about African development issues. We talked 
about the situation in the Gulf of Guinea, and the Congo Basin, the 
NEPAD, Project for African Development in Africa. And I was happy to 
see President Bush give his entire support to the development of 
Africa.''
  Mr. Speaker, the emergence of the Republic of Congo as a leader in 
African diplomacy and economic issues is worth noting. Only a few years 
ago, this small country was suffering from the aftermath of protracted 
civil conflict. President Sassou-Nguesso has diligently embarked on a 
program of political reform, social reconciliation, and economic 
modernization that can serve as a model for other parts of Africa.
  I hope that the talks at the White House result in concrete measures 
for addressing the many issues President Bush and President Sassou-
Nguesso discussed.

                          ____________________