Washington, DC April 9, 2010
The U.S. assistant secretary of state for African affairs, Ambassador Johnnie Carson, is traveling to France, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the United Kingdom April 8-19, the State Department has announced.
Carson begins his trip in Paris, where he will deliver a speech to the French-American Foundation Symposium. The topic of the speech, according to the State Department announcement, will be transnational security challenges in Africa. The assistant secretary will also meet with a number of senior French officials while in the French capital.
Upon departing from Paris, Carson will head to Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo, where he has requested meetings with President Denis Sassou-Nguesso, Foreign Minister Basile Ikouébé and members of the political opposition. He will also confer with embassy staff about the U.S. engagement plan for the Republic of the Congo.
In Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Carson has requested meetings with President Joseph Kabila, Foreign Minister Alexis Thambwe Mwamba and various other senior DRC officials. In addition to meeting with embassy staff on U.S. engagement in the DRC, he will travel to Kisangani to visit a U.S.-funded training mission for a Congolese light infantry battalion.
The mission is a collaboration between the State Department and the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) to further the professionalization of the Congolese military. Upon his return to Kinshasa, Carson will participate in a signing ceremony for the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) Partnership Framework with Prime Minister Adolphe Muzito before departing the country.
Carson will conclude his trip in London, where he has a meeting scheduled with his counterpart in the Foreign Office. He will also participate in a round-table discussion with press.
Source: U.S. Department of State
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