[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2008, Book I)]
[February 14, 2008]
[Pages 197-208]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
Interview With Foreign Radio Journalists
February 14, 2008
The President. Thank you all. Just a couple of comments. I'm very
much looking forward to the trip. This will be my second trip to the
continent of Africa, my wife's fifth trip. The
reason why I'm looking forward to it is I want the people on the
continent of Africa to know that the American people care deeply about
the human condition; that when we see suffering, it troubles our
conscience, and we want to help. I believe to whom much is given, much
is required. A lot has been given to America, and therefore, a lot is
required of us to deal with human misery in the form of hunger and
disease and hopelessness.
And so this is going to be a trip that I bring the good will of
American people, with a strategy to help nations deal with the problems
they have. I appreciate the leadership on the continent of Africa, and
I'm looking forward to working with the leaders there as partners in
solving some of the problems that I believe can be solved.
And so thank you for coming. I'd be glad to answer questions.
Democracy in Benin/U.S. Foreign Policy in Benin
Q. I'm Jean Jonas from Benin.
The President. Yes, sir. First up.
Q. Well, people from my country are very delighted to welcome you on
Saturday. And I wish to say what they are expecting from you and from
America. You, President Bush, have said that the best way we can build a
peaceful world for the future is to share the principle of freedom with
other nations. I took this from the U.S.
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Government site--this is a word I appreciate. But we highly appreciate
how your Government fight poverty and encourage growth building. But we
would like all this take place in a perfectly democratic context. What
will be the implication of your trip to Benin, in terms of guaranteeing
a perfect democracy for building hope and prosperity?
The President. Democracy is a commitment by government and by
people. The people of Benin have committed to democracy. However, to
achieve a perfect democracy is very difficult. In my country, we're a
great democracy. We were imperfect. After all, we enslaved people. And
democracy is work and requires a lot of work. And it requires support
from--to help leaders deal with everyday problems.
One such problem in Benin is malaria. Your President has made a strong commitment to help eradicate
malaria. Today, in a speech that inaugurated my trip--or kicked off my
trip, I talked about your President's commitment to provide nets to
every child 5 and under. That's a strong commitment. We have got what's
called Millennium Challenge Account programs. These are significant aid
programs, but they're given to countries that adhere to rule of law and
fight corruption and invest in the health and education of their people.
This is a different type of foreign policy. It's a different type of
foreign aid. Foreign aid in the past was just, here, take and spend.
This is foreign policy that reinforces the conditions necessary for just
and peaceful societies to develop. And Benin is such a country. And so
I'm looking forward to confirming our desire to help and reinforcing the
President's desire to achieve a democracy
in which people have got confidence.
Yes, ma'am, Yvonne.
U.S. Foreign Policy in Africa
Q. I'm Yvonne from Tanzania. I was happy to hear about you
congratulating President Kikwete, calling him a good guy, because I
agree he's a good guy as well. [Laughter]
The President. Well, actually, that's just Texas vernacular, you
know, it's not a very--[laughter]--it's not diplomatic talk, but, you
know--[laughter]--he is a good guy.
Q. He's a good guy, yes, and we're happy to receive the MCC money,
which we're about to receive when you come down to Tanzania. Now my
question is that Tanzania is among 15 countries that have benefited from
the U.S. initiative on HIV/AIDS, PEPFAR program, as well as the malaria
initiative. But being an undeveloped country, while--would expect that
to see more assistance in terms of helping poor countries such as
Tanzania develop economically.
So I'd like to know, as you're winding your term in office, what
commitment has America made to ensure that developing countries such as
Tanzania is assisted in terms of trade and development issues and
private sector development as well?
The President. That's good. First of all, just in general, our
commitment to the continent of Africa was doubled when I first came into
office, and then when I got--started my second term, doubled again.
Secondly, I do agree that the most substantive way to help any
developing nation is through the development of commerce and wealth as a
result of growing industry and businesses, both small and large. And the
best way to foster that is through trade. And that's why AGOA, passed by
my predecessor, reauthorized during my
Presidency, is a great source of hope for people on the continent of
Africa because they now have a market in which to sell.
Today in my speech, I talked about this statistic: Exports to the
United States from the continent of Africa, sub-Saharan Africa, have
tripled. Exports from the United States to sub-Saharan Africa have
doubled. In other words, this trade has been good. One way to firm up
the commitment to
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make sure that our Nation remains nonprotectionist--in other words, a
free-trading nation--is to complete the Doha round. That's a difficult
set of negotiations. The United States has made it clear that we will
reduce our agricultural subsidies, but in return, we expect other
developed nations--and developing--large developing nations--to also
reduce their tariffs and subsidies so that I can come to the Congress
and say, here's an agreement that is fair for everybody.
And so the other thing we can do is--so, our assistance aid, by the
way, is helping--in some cases helps business. One way to do that is
through OPIC. And I announced today a new multimillion dollar--hundreds
of millions of dollars of OPIC-type investment funds that will be
available for African businesses.
What's interesting is, capital inflows into Africa now exceed
grants, development aid. And that's important because capital inflows
means jobs and commerce and hope and small businesses. So our plan is a
plan that, hopefully, will sustain the gains that have been made. It's
not like a one-time shot. It's got structural implications.
The other thing is, is that you can't have a hopeful economy if your
people can't read. And so education is a vital link to providing hope.
And we've got a strong education initiative on the continent--and
started early in my administration; we're following through on it. We're
trying to get, I think, like, 12 million textbooks and train 900,000
teachers and provide scholarships to 550,000 girls, all aiming to
provide a basis by which these investments and these capital flows will
actually be able to take hold--and that is an educated workforce, an
educated population.
Albert.
Millennium Challenge Grants/Democracy in Africa
Q. Mr. President----
The President. You're living in Rwanda now?
Q. Yes, I do.
The President. Good.
Q. And I hope I'll be there before you reach, so I can welcome you.
The President. Thank you, sir.
Q. You somehow already replied to the question I wanted to ask you,
but I can maybe define it a bit more. It is clear that the increase of
support of your administration--your two mandates--increased a lot. And
don't you think the U.S. should maybe also develop a higher level
political strategy on Africa, that would benefit the U.S. and Africa?
The President. That's a very interesting question. A couple of
approaches to aid in the past: One was, ``We're feeling terrible for
you, here's money,'' and not much asked in return. The other approach
oftentimes has been: ``You've got resources; we want them. We'll exploit
them and leave behind something that really doesn't benefit the
people.'' I know those are extreme cases, but nevertheless, if you
really think about the history of supporting Africa, it's one way to
characterize how things were approached. Some of it had to do with the
guilt of colonialism; some of it had to do with just the gluttony of
need for raw materials. In either case, it didn't work.
So we've taken this approach that said we will invest in countries
where leadership has made a firm commitment to some basic principles:
rule of law, fighting corruption, investment in people through health
and education programs, and adherence to the marketplace. Nations that
have received Millennium Challenge grants have met a test. In other
words, there is a criterion to qualify for the money.
What's happening, Albert, is that other nations desirous of a
Millennium Challenge grant ask, ``What did you do to get your grant,''
to other leaders. And so the habits of a just society become an integral
part of the receiving of help. We're more than willing to help, but in
this case, we're saying the help has got to be to reinforce those
decisions by leaders that'll have a
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long-lasting impact toward a free society. There's nothing more
debilitating to a society than corruption. If the people think that the
leadership is there to enrich themselves, they'll have no trust in
government. There will be no trust in form of--any form of government.
And so one of the criterion for Millennium Challenge is honesty. We
want the leadership and government to be honest with the people. And
when we first put out--when I first put out this initiative, I was
criticized by some. That's just part of the job, evidently. And it was,
``How dare you insist upon conditions for your aid.'' And my answer is,
how can we not? Shouldn't we expect good leadership? Shouldn't we have
faith in people from a different part of the world demanding the same
things that we expect of our Government?
The answer is, absolutely we should hold people up to a high
standard. Absolutely we should expect leaders to adhere to some basic
principle. And absolutely we should trust people to want to live in a
free society.
And so we changed the policy. Not only did we have a more robust
approach to the issues facing Africans than ever before in our Nation's
history, by a significant amount, but we have a strategy to do just what
you asked. How do we make sure that a free society is lasting, that it's
not just a moment--you know, let's just do what old George wants us to
do, and then he'll go away and then societies can revert back its norm.
And so we have--there's a constant evaluation of results based upon high
standards.
Edwin. How are you?
U.S. Role in Africa
Q. Thank you very much. I'm fine.
The President. Yes, good, me too.
Q. Mr. President, I'm impressed by your policy statement on Africa
today.
The President. Were you listening?
Q. Yes, for the--yes.
The President. You were the only people in this room; the rest of
them fell asleep back there. [Laughter]
Q. But just what I've from the--what I've listened to here now, I'm
mostly impressed; it's quite encouraging. But I just want to know, what
is the motivating factor for the increasing interest in Africa?
The President. Why?
Q. The motivating factor of the interest in Africa. Well, somebody
may say it's the new oil finds or the fight against terrorism or we want
to promote democracy.
The President. Yes. A couple of things, Edwin. First of all, my
passion toward Africa has been sustained throughout 7 years. In other
words, my speech today, if you listened carefully to it, indicated a
strategy that was first adopted early in my administration.
Secondly, there are two reasons why. Now, one, conditions of life
overseas matters to the security of the United States. In other words,
if there's hopelessness, then it's liable that extremists who are
recruiting people to create havoc not only in their respective countries
or neighborhoods but also in our country--if there's hopelessness, they
have a better chance to recruit. So it's in our national security
interest, Edwin, that we deal with the conditions that enable
ideologues--the ideologues of hate to recruit.
Remember that the ideology that is prevalent, that uses murder as a
weapon, cannot recruit in hopeful places. I mean, who would want to
follow somebody that says: ``Follow me; my vision is--if you're a
female, follow me; my vision is, you have no rights''? Or, ``If you
disagree with my religious interpretations, you'll be whipped in the
public square.'' So it's in our national interests.
Equally, if not more important, it is in our moral interests that we
help people. I firmly believe--as I said earlier, I firmly believe in
the admonition that to whom much is given, much is required. I believe
that is a principle by which people should
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make decisions in their individual lives and for the collective
conscience of the United States. It is in our moral interest that we
help a brother and sister who's dying of AIDS. And by helping that soul,
it really helps ourselves.
America's generosity has been prevalent throughout the decades. And
every time America reaches out to help a struggling soul, we find that
we're a better nation for it. And so my interest and my focus and my
insistence upon results on the continent of Africa are based on those
two premises.
The other thing, Edwin, I will tell you is that I've got a lot of
resources--or we have a lot of resources at our disposal. And the idea
of an entire generation of people dying because of HIV/AIDS troubled my
heart. And I felt like America could do something about it. Fifty
thousand people were receiving antiretroviral drugs when we first
started PEPFAR. Today, 1,300,000 people are receiving antiretrovirals in
a very short period of time.
And it's not enough. It's just a beginning. And so you say, ``Why,
Mr. President, do you feel that way?'' It's because I couldn't live with
myself if I didn't develop an effective strategy and call upon the
American people to help. And the good news is, the American people have
responded--$15 billion over 5. We're now going to double our commitment.
Equally important, other nations have stepped up. The G-8 has
committed to match the U.S. So all of a sudden, the strategy--and most
of these strategies, Edwin, are really based upon--oftentimes when you
see human suffering, it's based upon something that affects your heart.
And so that's why I've made the decisions I made.
Patience. You've been very patient so far.
Liberian Refugees in the United States
Q. Well, Mr. President, I would like to thank you for considering
Liberia as one of the countries you are going to be visiting this time.
The President. Yes, ma'am.
Q. And the Government and the people of Liberia do appreciate all
that you've done for us. Now, Mr. President, last year, your
administration extended by 1 year the temporary protective status of
hundreds of Liberians. Now what happens when you leave office?
The President. Yes.
Q. Is your Government considering anything permanent for them, like
what most host countries did for Liberian refugees, integrating them
locally, those who wanted to stay? And those who wanted to go back home,
taking them back home? Because this might--it will definitely allow
these Liberians to continue to contribute to the growth of the economy
of the country and also support their families back home.
The President. Interesting; yes, thank you for that. I did extend
TPS to Liberians here in America for, I think, 18 months. And there are
no plans to make it permanent. I would hope that many of the Liberians
who have come and been fine contributors here in America think about
going home to help this young country get on its feet after unspeakable
violence and terrible times.
You've got a great President, in
my judgment. I gave her the National Medal of Freedom. After all, she's
the first woman President on the continent of Africa. And she--you know,
in my speech today, I said, Africa's greatest resource is not oils or
diamonds or rubber, it's really people.
And so, my hope, of course, is that people that have been here
trying to save themselves from the violence go help this young--not
young, but this country get back on its feet.
Donaig.
Darfur and Chad
Q. Mr. President----
The President. What kind of name is that, Donaig?
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Q. Actually, I'm French, but it's a Celtic name.
The President. Really?
Q. Yes.
The President. That's a pretty name.
Q. The situation in Darfur has always been a matter of great concern
for you. U.N. officials say that the situation on the ground has been
worsening over the last few days. There's also been very heavy fighting
in Chad. Do you think there's a link between the two, between Darfur and
Chad?
The President. I do, yes.
Q. And where do we go from there?
The President. I appreciate that. I do think there's a link, first
of all, and I think that--let me just step back and say that the United
States has called the situation in Darfur a genocide. And I made a
decision early on that we would work through the United Nations to help
expedite troops that would help alleve the suffering and provide some
breathing space, hopefully, for the negotiations between rebel groups
and the Government.
Unfortunately, the rebel groups that were one time three are now a
multiple of three. And unfortunately, a government that could have made
a difference early on in Khartoum chose not to do so.
So the United States continues to work with the international
community to put pressure on the Sudanese Government. I have issued very
harsh sanctions against individuals and Sudanese companies. I also did
so against at least one rebel leader I'm aware of, because I wanted to
send a signal that your behavior is causing there to be some
consequences. We're continually working with other nations to get them
to take the same tough approach--nations throughout the world. Some are
reluctant to move; some are anxious to help.
In terms of the conditions on the ground, one thing the United
States has done is, we're providing enormous amounts of aid and
obviously are concerned as to whether or not that aid makes it into the
camps.
Secondly is, I have told the folks at the United Nations that we
would provide training and equipment to expedite the movement of troops.
The question is, will the troops show up? One way I can help call the
world to action is when I'm in Rwanda to thank the troops of Rwanda, the
Kagame Government, for being so proactive.
I'm frustrated by the pace of development on the ground. I am not
pleased that other nations--some other nations don't take necessary
steps to pressure the Government. I am--I've named another
Envoy to the Sudan, whose job it is to
really help bring a negotiating framework that will work.
And again, I'll repeat to you, one of the unfortunate issues has
been that the rebel groups have gone from 3 to more than 10--12, I think
it is, or 18, if I'm not mistaken. And there needs to be the U.S. and
others to pull the groups together so that there is somebody to
negotiate with--that can speak with--more likely with a unified voice.
And I do believe that the instability in Darfur affects Chad and
French interests. And I do thank the Sarkozy
Government for being a responsible nation, rallying EU forces to come
and provide some help.
And it's a very unfortunate, sad situation that is frustrating. And
on the other hand, there are some hopeful moments, such as the fact that
many in the world are providing help for the people in the camps. The
problem is the people who are in the camps. And obviously, we'd like
them to get back to their villages.
Scott.
Zimbabwe
Q. In your first trip to Africa, you embraced President Mbeki as the
honest broker in Zimbabwe. It looks like President Mugabe is a month
away from being reelected. So what now?
The President. Well, obviously, we're disappointed that the
situation in Zimbabwe
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since my first trip has gotten worse. And it's very important for people
to recognize types of government can affect the well-being and welfare
of a country. Zimbabwe used to be a net exporter of food. Today, it is a
net importer of food. Mr. Mugabe has ruined a
country, and we have--we and frankly Great Britain have been the most
vociferous advocates for change, and we still are advocates for change.
I was hoping that the South African Government would have been more
proactive in its intercession to help the people of Zimbabwe. It's not
anti anybody; it's pro people, and that has yet to happen, admittedly.
One more round here real quick. Yes, Jean.
U.S. Trade With Africa
Q. Thank you, Mr. President.
The President. Is that ``Jean''?
Q. Jean Jonas. I will----
The President. Like they say ``Juan''--[laughter]--where I'm from?
Q. Mr. President, I will recommend you, during your short visit to
my country, to have a taste in our juicy, tasty, and nicely perfumed
pineapples.
The President. Pineapples.
Q. Yes. And then you will figure out that it will be an opportunity
for all the American people to have a taste--[inaudible].
The President. Yes, that's a smart move. That's good marketing.
[Laughter] It's called a taste test. [Laughter]
Q. But yet, my country does not benefit much from----
The President. From AGOA?
Q. Yes.
The President. Why? Because fruits are not a part of the AGOA----
Administration official. Pineapples can be imported under AGOA.
The President. So then what we're going to have to do is, I'm going
to have to talk to your President and point
out the opportunities that pineapples are a part of the AGOA trade list
that can enter into the United States relatively duty free.
Q. Yes, but apart from the pineapple, we have so many things and so
many products that can profit from the AGOA but do not----
The President. You need some export credit--I mean, not export
credit, you need some help in developing industries that know how to
export. Yes, I'll be glad to talk to the President about that. There are several ways the U.S. can help.
Some grant money that encourages people to learn how to be an exporting
company, microloans can also help. And so can OPIC, which is a way for
people to get the capital necessary to be able to develop an
infrastructure so that they can take the pineapple from the field, do
whatever you're supposed to do, put it in a crate and ship it to the
United States for sale--if you know how to market.
In other words, this is a--and so yes, we'd like to help enterprise.
The whole purpose of our strategy, which is commerce, is much more
effective than aid to governments. It's got a more lasting impact. And
one of the things I'm going to do in Ghana is visit entrepreneurs that
are taking advantage of marketplace access. And I'm confident I'm going
to hear from leaders in the region saying: ``That's fine; you're talking
about nice things. And we like AGOA, but you've got to do something
about your agriculture, because it provides a distinct disadvantage for
our farmers.''
And my answer is going to be, we're more than willing to do so, but
we expect other partners in the world to do the same thing. We expect
there to be fairness. And this is a tough issue to get all countries to
agree to have equity when it comes to reducing our respective subsidies
and tariffs, including African nations.
One of the things I point up to African leaders--point out to
African leaders is that oftentimes it is virtually impossible to ship
goods from one African country to the next because there are high intra-
Africa tariffs and barriers to trade. And so it's a--trade
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is complicated, and we just want to be treated fairly in America. In
order to get something passed, it has to be viewed as a fair and
equitable transaction, and I believe we can achieve such a thing. I'm
looking forward to that pineapple. [Laughter]
Yvonne.
Government Corruption/Millennium Challenge Corporation
Q. Mr. President, your Government has been supporting Tanzania
address the issue of corruption as well as good governance through the
MCC initiative and through the Threshold Program. And it is now been
eligible to receive the funds, but what's going to happen once you step
down to make sure what is being done--to make sure that it's going to be
sustainable----
The President. That's a good question.
Q. ----it won't end with you.
The President. You're right; my Presidency does end. And that's one
of the great things about American democracy: There will be a peaceful
transfer of power. And yet I'm hopeful that we leave behind an
institution such as the Millennium Challenge Corporation, which has a
monitoring device that will more likely assure the people of Tanzania
that today's anticorruption measures are for real and lasting.
It's a very interesting question. I mean, you know, today's concern
about corruption may not be tomorrow's. I suspect any American President
is going to be worried about corruption, particularly since we've
changed how aid is granted in the first place. And so the fact that the
Millennium Challenge exists will make it more likely future
administrations will ask the very same questions we've asked.
Albert.
Democratic Republic of the Congo/Rwanda
Q. Mr. President----
The President. Your thing turned off there, by the way, Yvonne. It
clicked off. I think yours did. Anyway, far be it for me to interfere
with your----
Q. Mr. President, you will see when you visit Rwanda that 14 years
later, after the genocide, Rwanda has incredibly developed. But for
development in Rwanda, one of the things that are key--that is key is
security. And when you started your first mandate, there was already a
threat, and 8 years later, the threat is still there, Mr. President.
What do you forecast for the future?
The President. I presume you're referring to those groups that
exist----
Q. FDLR.
The President. ----in your neighbor.
Q. Yes. And which are even listed as terrorist organizations, even
by the U.S.
The President. Right, right, right. We're working with President
Kabila on a disarmament program. We've been
very engaged diplomatically in the eastern part of the Congo. I've
talked to him about this personally. Our diplomats out of the State
Department and on the ground are very actively engaged in getting people
to honor the agreement. And I fully understand the issue and the
concerns.
Q. Because we don't want to be dragged again----
The President. Back into the--no, no question. First of all, the
amazing thing is, is that the recovery of your country. And I'm really
looking forward to going. President Kagame has
been a very strong leader in the right sense of the word. To be able to
come from where you were to where you are today is pretty remarkable. I
think I said Rwanda is one of the fastest growing economies in the
world, if I'm not mistaken. Now, obviously, that's really good news,
and, of course, one of the things that's going to matter is that the
people benefit from that economic vitality and growth.
But you're right, it's one of the ongoing issues that I talked about
in my speech today, and the reason I did so, is I wanted the
President and the people of Rwanda to know that
we understand the seriousness of this issue; that nobody wants a replay
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of a very difficult--very terrible period in your history.
Edwin.
Africa-U.S. Relations/Trade
Q. Yes, Mr. President, your planned visit to Africa shows that the
continent has become important to you and your country. Well, that's why
the administration has set up AFRICOM for development but not for war--
--
The President. Africa for development but not for war.
Q. War, war fighting, and then the AGOA, Millennium Challenge
Account, all for development--but to the ordinary African, he or she can
see these things clearly or feel the impact well, maybe because of the
gravity of the situation or poverty. And one way you made mention of it
is to trade, not just aid. But we have problem with the African culture
produced cotton and all that, because of the subsidies here, the effects
are depressed prices back in Africa. What's official--what are you doing
to solve this problem of subsidies? Is delicate issue.
The President. Well, thank you. First of all, if you're a mother
who's worried about a child dying of malaria, and you see a net provided
by an American child, then all of a sudden, the--you get a direct
connection between the hearts of Americans and your life. So, in other
words, you asked me whether--how does the average person sometimes feel
the effects of American commitment to the continent?
And my answer to you--and I'll answer the subsidy thing--but my
answer to you is, first of all, it's a very important question, because
oftentimes, years ago, aid would never make it beyond the palaces. They
would kind of end up in a handful of people's pockets. And our program,
Edwin, is really aimed at focusing on individuals. If you believe every
human life has dignity, therefore, your programs ought to reflect that
concept. And the way you do that is you make sure that the aid gets to
the people. In this case, we're focusing on problems that affect the
people most directly.
And so, at Christmas, I got a--a couple years ago, I got nets given
in my name or in Laura's name to families on the
continent of Africa. I'll never know who they were, and they probably
don't know who I am, but the idea that an American family decided to
spend money on a Christmas gift aimed at helping a stranger is really an
important part of an effective foreign aid policy.
Secondly, our AIDS initiative works very closely with the leaders to
design programs that meet the needs of the country--not meet our needs
but meet your needs. But the other thing that comes with the AIDS
program is a great outpouring of faith-based groups from America. There
are thousands of my citizens, Edwin, that would--that long to spend time
in parts of Africa delivering help to a total stranger. Other
countries--I'm sure that happens, but I happen to say that this is the
greatest strength of America.
And so there will be, hopefully, somebody in a village in Ghana that
runs into one of these missionaries on a mission of love, that will see
the direct help of an AIDS program or a malaria program and education
benefits. It may not be that somebody recognizes that a teacher has been
trained by U.S. dollars, but our policy is to--we're more focused on the
person learning. Maybe there will be a benefit to the United States, a
direct benefit, where somebody says, wow, this is great; America did
this. On the other hand, our focus is more on making sure that the child
learns to read in the first place, because our overall objective is a
hopeful society and a peaceful society.
To subsidies, I fully understand the angst about the leadership--by
the leadership on U.S. subsidies. And I've said I'm more than willing
to--on the Doha round--by the most effective place--first of all, AGOA
has helped address that to a certain extent. One
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way it has--because it's opened up markets. On the other hand, it has
not made your farmers feel more comfortable because of the--in their
view, that the United States farming is not only efficient, but there's
a subsidy to make it even more competitive. I understand that.
In order to deal with this issue, however, there has to be full
reciprocity by developing--large developing and developed nations. In
other words, the United States farmer is willing to take less of a
subsidy if his--can be assured that his product will get a fair hearing
in somebody else's market--particularly those that can afford to buy
crops on a large scale--and that's not the case. Same thing if we reduce
our subsidies on agriculture; we expect other nations to be more opening
to manufactured goods and services.
And it's a very complex issue, but it's one that we're trying to
work through. And hopefully, if we can get a successful Doha round, your
very question will be answered in a way that is hopeful to the farmers
there in Ghana.
Patience. Patience, where were you educated? I know I'm not supposed
to be asking questions, but--[laughter].
Growth of Liberia
Q. Some part of my education was in Nigeria.
The President. Oh, really? Interesting.
Q. Yes. Well, sir----
The President. Are you living----
Q. I'm living in Liberia right now.
The President. Are you? Good. How's it going?
Q. Good.
The President. Is the capital, like, improving----
Q. Well, we're sort of, like, accelerating----
The President. This is off the record, right? [Laughter]
Q. ----road construction work, so you can have a safe----
The President. Well, you don't need to worry about me. [Laughter]
Q. We're rushing up everything so you can----
The President. You're building things because of my arrival? Maybe I
ought to come every other month. [Laughter]
Q. Okay. [Laughter]
The President. Is there noticeable construction now----
Q. Yes.
The President. ----besides my trip?
Q. Yes. Yes. From 2003 to date, there has been an increase in road
construction. We've got infrastructure----
The President. Can you see it, a big difference?
Q. Yes, you can. Yes, you can.
The President. Are people feeling safer?
Q. Yes. People are feeling safer. Those on the ground are feeling
safer.
The President. Particularly in the city?
Q. But, like, for Liberians here in America--I have been talking to
most of them--for them to go back home and join in this young democracy.
The President. Thank you.
Security Situation in Africa
Q. And some of the things they've been saying is the security. And
some of them went back, after the first bout of war and were forced to
come back. Now they keep saying security, and each time, I say, we have
the U.N. mission down there. But right now the U.N. mission is gradually
drawing down faces.
Now, will your Government consider establishing AFRICOM in Liberia,
which would consolidate security there? You know, like a couple of the
subregions bring in investment into Liberia, which is what mostly
Liberia needs right now.
The President. First of all, AFRICOM is a brand new concept aimed at
strengthening nations' capacities to deal with trafficking or terror,
but also to help nations
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develop forces capable of doing the peacekeeping that unfortunately too
often is needed on the continent.
Secondly, we are in the process of evaluating exactly how AFRICOM
will work. Now, because it's a new concept, it was a brand new military-
type command--and, by the way, it's going to be more than just military;
there will be a State Department component with it, which makes it a
very interesting issue. And so we're in the process of determining where
and how AFRICOM should be situated on the continent. I'm not avoiding--I
guess I'm avoiding your answer, but I don't mean to be avoiding it. I'm
just telling you exactly where we are in the process.
And obviously, if there is going to be a physical presence on the
continent of Africa in the forms of a headquarters that you just
described, obviously, we would seriously consider Liberia. Liberia is a
friend. The President has made it
abundantly clear to me that she would like us to seriously consider
Liberia, and I have told her I would.
I just want to make sure people understand that the makeup and the
construct of AFRICOM is still really being thought through, because, as
I mentioned to you, this is not--I mean, when you think of, you know,
U.S. command structures, you think military, which is fine. But this is
a different military mission than Central Command, for example. And as I
told you, there's going to be a strong State Department component with
it, and we're in the process of making sure we understand what that
integration means and then evaluating if and where the facilities will
be built. It's on my radar screen.
Donaig.
Kenya's Presidential Election
Q. About Kenya, Mr. President, there's been a month-and-a-half now
of continuous ethnic violence. Who won this election? And what should be
done to stop this violence?
The President. Yes. I don't think we can say we're certain to who
won the election. That's part of the problem. Secondly, there is a way
forward, which is for the parties to come together in good faith and
work out a way forward until there are new elections, the date of which
would be determined by the parties.
I don't think the United States ought to go in, or anybody else, to
say, ``You must have an election now.'' But I do think we can go in and
help Kofi Annan convince the parties to work
together in a cooperative way so that the people can see there's a way
forward. And to this end, when I'm in Rwanda, I'm going to ask
Condi to go over to Kenya and sit down with
the leaders in Kenya to see if we can't help Kofi advance the--Kofi
Annan advance the way forward.
Situation in the Horn of Africa
Q. One of the U.S. counterterrorism efforts in Africa has centered
on the Horn. Any concern about the continuing instability in Somalia
and, again, worsening relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea, the impact
that that has not only on stability on the Horn but counterterrorism
efforts?
The President. Yes, we're concerned about instability anywhere,
really, but instability is what--and confusion and chaos and fear is the
conditions under which a group like Al Qaida can thrive. That's why they
like to kill people, innocent people, to create doubt about existing
security, to create fear among the population. So any time you see that
kind of instability, we're deeply concerned about it.
Secondly, there have been Al Qaida--some Al Qaida operating out of
Somalia, and therefore, when you know some Al Qaida have been in and out
of Somalia and there is some chaos and confusion, the conclusion is, we
better be worried about it and do something about it. And we are. We've
got cooperative arrangements in the region that will make it more likely
for
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us to be able to provide protections for the people in the region and
ourself.
In terms of--yes, and we're also conscious of Ethiopia and Eritrea's
border dispute. And I'm constantly talking to Condi about making sure that we're on top of the
situation as the best we can make a positive contribution. I feel pretty
comfortable that the State Department and our Embassies are fully aware
of the issues on the border and are making sure that the respective
leaders understand the position of the U.S., which is to solve this
thing through mediation and not stack up the troops to the point where
they get--where some spark ignites some kind of border dispute.
But the Horn is an area of deep concern for the U.S. We actually
happen to have a base there as well, in Djibouti. And we take the issues
there seriously and are very engaged with it on a regular basis.
Okay, here's what we're going to do: We'll get a picture, unless you
don't want one. [Laughter]
Note: The interview began at 1:18 p.m. in the Roosevelt Room at the
White House. In his remarks, the President referred to President Thomas
Yayi Boni of Benin; President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete of Tanzania;
President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia; President Paul Kagame of
Rwanda; Special Envoy to Sudan Richard S. Williamson; President Nicolas
Sarkozy of France; President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe; President John
Agyekum Kufuor of Ghana; President Joseph Kabila of the Democratic
Republic of the Congo; and former Secretary-General Kofi Annan of the
United Nations. A reporter referred to President Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki of
South Africa. The transcript was released by the Office of the Press
Secretary on February 15. A tape was not available for verification of
the content of this interview.