tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78657062992156412042024-03-05T23:17:13.660-05:00AMIP NewsDedicated to U.S. - Africa RelationsAMIP News (Info@afroimagetv.org)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10256754630649188311noreply@blogger.comBlogger2044125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865706299215641204.post-75082204070347725862020-04-25T21:20:00.002-04:002020-04-25T21:20:51.246-04:00South African Airways Repatriates Stranded South Africans From Miami<br />
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Photo: South African Airways</div>
<br />
South African Airways<br />
Media Release<br />
April 15, 2020<br />
<h3>
South African Airways Repatriates Stranded South Africans From Miami</h3>
Fort Lauderdale, FL (April 15, 2020) – South African Airways (SAA),
repatriated over 300 South African citizens on April 14, 2020 aboard a
specially planned charter flight from the Miami International
Airport(MIA) to South Africa. Thisflight, chartered by Workaway
International, operated with SAA’s new state-of-the art flagship
Airbus A350-900 aircraft, departed Miami on Tuesday evening en route to
Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban. Workaway International is a
USA-based recruiting agency, headquartered in Palm Beach Gardens,
Florida, whose mission is to provide young South Africans with the
opportunity for employment in the hospitality industry in South Florida
during the traditional high tourist season of November through May. Due
to the onset of the COVID-19 virus, many of the golf resorts and
other business in the hospitality industry that employed these young
adults have temporarily closed, requiring the South Africans to return
home.<br />
<br />
“SAA and Workaway International have enjoyed a long-standing
partnership and we are honoured to be working with them on this special
repatriation flight to carry this group of young South Africans home to
reunite with family and loved ones,” said Todd Neuman, executive vice
president, North America for South African Airways. “We felt a great
sense of pride in seeing the excitement from this group as they boarded
our A350-900 aircraft with the beautiful colors of the South African
flag<br />emblazoned on the tail and the warm greetings from SAA staff as they embarked on their journey home.”<br />
<br />
“MIA is proud to be open and operational, so that we can help
facilitate the return of these South African nationals to their homeland
during these challenging times,” said Lester Sola, Miami International
Airport Director and CEO.<br />
<br />
SAA has taken measures to ensure that the airport staff, cabin crew
and flight deck crew were safe and secure by providing the appropriate
training and protective clothing as approved by the World Health
Organization’s Communicable Disease Plan. Health screening protocols
were conducted<br />at the airport for each passenger boarding the flight
and upon arrival in South Africa, the group will be placed in quarantine
for 14 days in accordance with South African government travel
regulations to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the country.<br />
<br />
ENDAMIP News (Info@afroimagetv.org)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10256754630649188311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865706299215641204.post-59666383704476941422020-04-25T21:19:00.000-04:002020-04-25T21:19:13.374-04:00Sec. Pompeo Calls Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8fzrK6VpUE-J-q1l7kiLxmnRjqmBjWnt7HyXyHoAAkiOPVB-GKU93Miib9IBy3680RQgaxQQ_bUfpAtjUdkQOGHrOfDxqOsx3E4LwvV_4HyU5CCGNZBTbvkd6vVjqDvzxIMyXiuVLkcGV/s1600/Abiy+Ahmed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8fzrK6VpUE-J-q1l7kiLxmnRjqmBjWnt7HyXyHoAAkiOPVB-GKU93Miib9IBy3680RQgaxQQ_bUfpAtjUdkQOGHrOfDxqOsx3E4LwvV_4HyU5CCGNZBTbvkd6vVjqDvzxIMyXiuVLkcGV/s400/Abiy+Ahmed.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
Office of the Spokesperson</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
Department of State</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
Washington, DC</div>
April 13, 2020<br />
<br />
The statement below is attributable to Spokesperson Morgan Ortagus:<br />
<br />
Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo spoke today with Ethiopian Prime
Minister Abiy Ahmed. Secretary Pompeo thanked the Prime Minister and
Ethiopian Airlines for their continued support to provide flights to
American citizens stranded overseas by the COVID-19 pandemic. The
Secretary underscored the United States’ commitment to supporting
Ethiopia and working with international partners to respond to the
ongoing public health emergency. The Secretary and the Prime Minister
also discussed the importance of the U.S.-Ethiopian bilateral
relationship and stressed the need for continued collaboration on key
regional issues.<br />
AMIP News (Info@afroimagetv.org)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10256754630649188311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865706299215641204.post-76830869247736778662020-04-25T21:18:00.000-04:002020-04-25T21:18:00.899-04:00Sec. Pompeo Calls Egyptian Foreign Minister Shoukry, Thanks EgyptAir<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKOHb3VliR-kHvM_TzUKVucQWUjnJYhOwN3SrjRaDLwLktbzLZ-ElmMzf5sDyU-7hKHHvRs4TEyi3g_Ac2GPSqeegpNa2OsW_LQGzc_7nkYERJHdQ1LZRjbTBWsJ7hGKNmAAqE1tn1l8xb/s1600/Sameh+Shoukry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="645" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKOHb3VliR-kHvM_TzUKVucQWUjnJYhOwN3SrjRaDLwLktbzLZ-ElmMzf5sDyU-7hKHHvRs4TEyi3g_Ac2GPSqeegpNa2OsW_LQGzc_7nkYERJHdQ1LZRjbTBWsJ7hGKNmAAqE1tn1l8xb/s400/Sameh+Shoukry.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
Office of the Spokesperson</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
Department of State</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
Washington, DC</div>
April 7, 2020<br />
<br />
The statement below is attributable to Spokesperson Morgan Ortagus:<br />
<br />
Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo spoke today with Egyptian
Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry. Secretary Pompeo and Foreign Minister
Shoukry discussed regional issues and emphasized the importance of
cooperation during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Secretary thanked the
Foreign Minister and EgyptAir for scheduling special flights to
repatriate American citizens.<br />
AMIP News (Info@afroimagetv.org)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10256754630649188311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865706299215641204.post-59718193453234943222020-04-25T21:16:00.004-04:002020-04-25T21:16:51.173-04:00Sec. Pompeo Calls Sudannese PM Abdalla Hamdok<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQw52n9mzQfe8n0fl8jckX5O9CrSuJo2DUYi86c3enNXZCJFHJRQInCMYb5fA9EMOQE5qm2kXOj8XoRdqRdgGkQMb-ZELlXx5LoZ_jBlTNPMJetpNgC_YPeXlAUeWeXD9hOSzS6FpJt3O6/s1600/PM+Abdalla+Hamdok.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="429" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQw52n9mzQfe8n0fl8jckX5O9CrSuJo2DUYi86c3enNXZCJFHJRQInCMYb5fA9EMOQE5qm2kXOj8XoRdqRdgGkQMb-ZELlXx5LoZ_jBlTNPMJetpNgC_YPeXlAUeWeXD9hOSzS6FpJt3O6/s320/PM+Abdalla+Hamdok.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
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<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
Office of the Spokesperson</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
Department of State</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
Washington, DC</div>
April 1, 2020<br />
<br />
The statement below is attributable to Spokesperson Morgan Ortagus:<br />
<br />
Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo spoke with Sudanese Prime
Minister Abdalla Hamdok today. Secretary Pompeo and Prime Minister
Hamdok reaffirmed the importance of a successful democratic transition
in Sudan and the importance of moving forward with appointment of a
Transitional Legislative Council and civilian governors. The Secretary
reiterated U.S. support for the civilian-led transitional government and
its efforts to build a lasting peace in Sudan. The two leaders
continued discussions regarding the policy and statutory requirements
for consideration of rescission of Sudan’s State Sponsor of Terrorism
designation. Secretary Pompeo and Prime Minister Hamdok discussed the
COVID-19 global pandemic and U.S.-Sudanese cooperation to combat the
virus.<br />
AMIP News (Info@afroimagetv.org)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10256754630649188311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865706299215641204.post-11598070121767386152020-04-25T21:15:00.004-04:002020-04-25T21:15:40.503-04:00Sec. Pompeo Calls Former Ethiopian PM Desalegn, Thanks Ethiopian Airlines<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrl8DBSxgFxd9B5k5WnocpOeFGxAluFKM32jD3Xud7OXjQMlgA7da8hZW517WohN5sO1TpjPYZaVp0cMnS4fkQhMZHE0zdf3dYGvr7IILPvjSl1TuxPh9d8_En_ApmhP-caUVOu1I1SDGX/s1600/Hailemariam+Dessalegn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="634" data-original-width="502" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrl8DBSxgFxd9B5k5WnocpOeFGxAluFKM32jD3Xud7OXjQMlgA7da8hZW517WohN5sO1TpjPYZaVp0cMnS4fkQhMZHE0zdf3dYGvr7IILPvjSl1TuxPh9d8_En_ApmhP-caUVOu1I1SDGX/s320/Hailemariam+Dessalegn.jpg" width="253" /></a></div>
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Photo: Wikipedia</div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
Office of the Spokesperson</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
Department of State</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
Washington, DC</div>
<br />
March 31, 2020<br />
<br />
The statement below is attributable to Spokesperson Morgan Ortagus:<br />
<br />
Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo spoke today with former
Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemarriam Desalegn. Secretary Pompeo
highlighted the importance of the U.S.-Ethiopian bilateral relationship
and stressed the importance of continued collaboration on key regional
issues. The Secretary reiterated the United States’ support for
Ethiopia’s ongoing reforms and the importance of ensuring that the
upcoming elections are free and fair.AMIP News (Info@afroimagetv.org)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10256754630649188311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865706299215641204.post-22101418802315738062020-04-25T21:14:00.001-04:002020-04-25T21:14:25.068-04:00U.S. Extends Deferred Enforced Departure for Liberians<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghvIM3aGC3QeMQV0v3jwIBDIy-w891ydHJWF95xro-vvZ9b6wO0tWHky7EjGsdzXLCCTd9Fgv7ZbPIhtAgWwDaWguSG9tf1mnNcAuYpklyxmshfz9av-Rx4lbe7FnoPynvy1FTqEtTpmYa/s1600/Liberia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1326" data-original-width="1600" height="331" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghvIM3aGC3QeMQV0v3jwIBDIy-w891ydHJWF95xro-vvZ9b6wO0tWHky7EjGsdzXLCCTd9Fgv7ZbPIhtAgWwDaWguSG9tf1mnNcAuYpklyxmshfz9av-Rx4lbe7FnoPynvy1FTqEtTpmYa/s400/Liberia.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />
<br />
Office of the Press Secretary<br />
The White House<br />
<br />
March 30, 2020<br />
<h3 class="page-header__title">
Memorandum on Extension of Deferred Enforced Departure for Liberians</h3>
Since March 1991, certain Liberian nationals and persons
without nationality who last habitually resided in Liberia
(collectively, “Liberians”) have been eligible for either Temporary
Protected Status (TPS) or Deferred Enforced Departure (DED), allowing
them to remain in the United States despite being otherwise removable.<br />
<br />
In a memorandum dated March 27, 2018, I determined that, although
conditions in Liberia had improved and did not warrant a further
extension of DED, the foreign policy interests of the United States
warranted affording an orderly transition (“wind-down”) period to
Liberian DED beneficiaries. At that time, I determined that a 12-month
wind-down period was appropriate; that wind-down period expires on March
31, 2019.<br />
<br />
Upon further reflection and review, I have decided that it is in the
foreign policy interest of the United States to extend the wind-down
period for an additional 12 months, through March 30, 2020. The overall
situation in West Africa remains concerning, and Liberia is an
important regional partner for the United States. The reintegration of
DED beneficiaries into Liberian civil and political life will be a
complex task, and an unsuccessful transition could strain
United States-Liberian relations and undermine Liberia’s post-civil war
strides toward democracy and political stability. Further, I understand
that there are efforts underway by Members of Congress to provide
relief for the small population of Liberian DED beneficiaries who remain
in the United States. Extending the wind-down period will preserve the
status quo while the Congress considers remedial legislation.<br />
<br />
The relationship between the United States and Liberia is unique.
Former African-American slaves were among those who founded the modern
state of Liberia in 1847. Since that time, the United States has sought
to honor, through a strong bilateral diplomatic partnership, the
sacrifices of individuals who were determined to build a modern
democracy in Africa with representative political institutions similar
to those of the United States.<br />
<br />
Pursuant to my constitutional authority to conduct the foreign
relations of the United States, I hereby direct the Secretary
of Homeland Security to take appropriate measures to accomplish the
following:<br />
<br />
(1) The termination of DED for all Liberian beneficiaries effective March 31, 2020;<br />
<br />
(2) A continuation of the wind‑down period through March 30, 2020,
during which current Liberian DED beneficiaries who satisfy the
description below may remain in the United States; and<br />
<br />
(3) As part of that wind-down, continued authorization for
employment through March 30, 2020, for current Liberian DED
beneficiaries who satisfy the description below.<br />
<br />
The 12-month wind-down period and 12-month continued authorization
for employment shall apply to any current Liberian DED beneficiary who
has continuously resided in the United States since October 1, 2002, but
shall not apply to Liberians in the following categories:<br />
<br />
(1) Individuals who are ineligible for TPS for reasons set forth in
section 244(c)(2)(B) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C.
1254a(c)(2)(B));<br />
<br />
(2) Individuals whose removal the Secretary of Homeland Security determines to be in the interest of the United States;<br />
<br />
(3) Individuals whose presence or activities in the United States
the Secretary of State has reasonable grounds to believe would have
potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United
States;<br />
<br />
(4) Individuals who have voluntarily returned to Liberia or their country of last habitual residence outside the United States;<br />
<br />
(5) Individuals who were deported, excluded, or removed before the date of this memorandum; or<br />
<br />
(6) Individuals who are subject to extradition.<br />
<br />
The Secretary of Homeland Security is authorized and directed to publish this memorandum in the <em>Federal Register</em>.<br />
<br />
DONALD J. TRUMP<br />
AMIP News (Info@afroimagetv.org)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10256754630649188311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865706299215641204.post-7857706414458369382020-04-25T21:10:00.003-04:002020-04-25T21:10:55.630-04:00MCC CEO’s Remarks at Powering Africa Summit<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1x7s8gyTwA6DJZpTt9BSpNa9ANxLfwOFM8xqAKSh94jkhCtSjkK5DnbJymffvLw2DEyVvWwQAn-u0ds8zNZ14kzwe-LVy-dZfxUWwXjbL1Qxteyo9uk9TWatu9vB2_J0YHJ9DDOKHmXGV/s1600/MCC+Sean+Cairncross.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="983" data-original-width="1535" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1x7s8gyTwA6DJZpTt9BSpNa9ANxLfwOFM8xqAKSh94jkhCtSjkK5DnbJymffvLw2DEyVvWwQAn-u0ds8zNZ14kzwe-LVy-dZfxUWwXjbL1Qxteyo9uk9TWatu9vB2_J0YHJ9DDOKHmXGV/s400/MCC+Sean+Cairncross.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Sean Cairncross, MCC CEO Photo courtesy of MCC</div>
<h3>
MCC CEO Sean Cairncross’ Remarks at the Powering Africa Summit</h3>
For Immediate Release<br />
Millennium Challenge Corporation<br />
February 24, 2020<br />
<br />
MIAMI, FLORIDA, February 24, 2020 – Today, MCC CEO Sean Cairncross
delivered remarks at the 6th Annual Powering Africa Summit in Miami,
Florida. The Summit brought together more than 370 energy leaders from
Africa with innovative technology providers and investors from North
America to accelerate business between the two continents.<br />
<br />
Read his full remarks below:<br />
<br />
Hello, thank you—I am so glad to join all of you this afternoon.<br />
<br />
Thank you, Ambassador [of the Republic of Mozambique] Carlos dos Santos, for leading this important discussion here today.<br />
<br />
Mozambique is one of our most recently selected partner countries,
and MCC looks forward to working closely with you in the months and
years to come.<br />
<br />
My name is Sean Cairncross, and I am the CEO of the Millennium Challenge Corporation, or MCC.<br />
<br />
I am thrilled to be here in Miami alongside so many wonderful
partners—each aiming to bring power to more people in Africa by working
together to strengthen the energy sector across the continent.<br />
<br />
Development of, and investment in, the African power sector is one of
the most important challenges of our time; for the Millennium Challenge
Corporation it is also one of the greatest opportunities.<br />
<br />
In my many visits to our MCC partner countries—like Malawi—I’ve seen
first-hand how U.S. Government investment in the power sector has
changed lives—putting countries on a path toward greater economic
prosperity.<br />
<br />
Grace Ghambi is a fourth-year electrical engineering student at the
University of Malawi because of an MCC-sponsored scholarship. While
visiting Nkula power plant outside of Blantyre, Grace explained to me
that MCC’s investment made her education possible.<br />
<br />
And now—after she finishes her schooling—Grace wants to come back and
assist on implementing further MCC investment by working at ESCOM, an
electrical utility in Malawi that is helping to privatize the energy
sector. She has also started a girls mentoring group, sharing
information and encouraging young women to reach their dreams, and
inside of two years she has reached thousands of young girls in Malawi.<br />
<br />
If that’s not a good demonstration of America’s power to inspire—to
drive economic prosperity through investment in the energy sector—I
don’t know what is.<br />
<br />
MCC is the largest U.S. Government contributor of power infrastructure funding under Power Africa to date.<br />
<br />
Those of you familiar with MCC know that our development model is different.<br />
<br />
By design, our approach brings together the rigor, analysis, and
expertise of the private sector and donor agencies—but all with one
focus—to reduce poverty through economic growth—to move these countries
from aid partners to trade partners.<br />
<br />
And, where and how we work are subject to several rules.<br />
<br />
Put simply, we only work with developing countries that are well
governed. That is, they are low or lower-middle income and they have
demonstrated a commitment to consolidating the reform necessary to build
economic freedom, ruling justly, and be responsive to their citizens.
These countries must be democratically governed and actively working to
prevent corruption.<br />
<br />
Our investments are grants—not loans that could add to a country’s
debt burden—and they are limited to just five years, so there is real
incentive to get things done.<br />
<br />
But don’t let the five-year timeline make you think these are easy—we
tackle difficult problems and push our partners on complex reforms
alongside our big infrastructure investments.<br />
<br />
What sets MCC apart is its data-driven decision-making process. We
first look at what factors are holding back a country’s economy, and
then we work directly with our partner government to design the
investment.<br />
<br />
MCC is built on country ownership—so our partner country governments,
civil society, and the private sector are leading the way in
identifying the problem, designing the solution, and implementing the
investment from day one.<br />
<br />
The story of MCC is really all about consistently applying these
principles of effectiveness and accountability—proving that U.S.
development dollars go beyond just rhetoric—we put ideas into action, to
get real results.<br />
<br />
To date, MCC has signed 37 compacts with 29 countries.<br />
<br />
And, currently, about two thirds of our partner countries are in Africa.<br />
<br />
Across the continent we currently have six compacts in
implementation, and four in development.<br />
<br />
Our active power sector
investments are in Benin, Ghana, Liberia, and Senegal.<br />
<br />
Each of these compacts directly address the lack of reliable,
affordable power holding these countries back from achieving the kind of
economic growth that will lift more of their citizens out of poverty.<br />
<br />
When MCC makes these multi-million dollar investments in the power
sector, we pair our major infrastructure projects with reforms that will
improve the policies and institutions that govern the sector—we insist
on this model to 1) ensure country ownership and accountability, 2) to
ensure the sustainability of our investments and, 3) to create a stable
environment that encourages private investment in the power sector in
each of these countries.<br />
<br />
One example I touched on this morning, but that I’d like to highlight again is Benin.<br />
<br />
MCC’s $375 million Benin 2 Power Compact aims to strengthen the
country’s power grid, including on-grid solar generation and off-grid
power solutions.<br />
<br />
And, funding for each of these projects is conditioned. Meaning, the
Government of Benin must achieve specific institutional and utility
reforms before any MCC funding is released. An example of this is tariff
reform—to establish both Independent Power Producers and off-grid
enabling environments, as well as improved utility governance to
introduce private industry participation into the power sector.<br />
<br />
This is important for three reasons.<br />
<br />
One, it speaks to the agency’s unique model and our ability to
incentivize and drive reforms before any American taxpayer dollars go
out the door. Our data-driven programs are designed to increase
accountability and deliver quality results and cost-effective
investments on behalf of the American people—investments that not only
align with U.S. values and national security interests, but also
maximize the impact of each dollar spent, and open up new markets to
U.S. businesses around the globe.<br />
<br />
And two, MCC plays a unique role within the development trajectory of
its partner countries by working directly with the government in
driving reforms to create a sustainable, investment-ready environment.
We insist that our country partners uphold the rule of law, work to
eliminate corruption, and consolidate democratic and free market reforms
to attract private investment and open up capital markets within the
sector.<br />
<br />
Finally, the MCC development model insists upon self-reliance and
increases a country’s ability to tackle problems on their own. Our
compacts build capacity through country ownership and drive sustainable
economic growth that creates jobs and real economic opportunities.<br />
<br />
Through these foundational principles of transparency, country
ownership, and mutual accountability for results, MCC stands in stark
contrast to the debt-laden development models, such as Belt and<br />
<br />
Road,
which fuels debt, economic distress, and threatens a country’s autonomy
and stability.<br />
<br />
Our approach has a sustained impact—Chinese projects often leave only
the infrastructure behind—typically without the necessary
sustainability measures in place—but MCC’s programs invest in
infrastructure and capacity building—leaving behind strengthened
institutions, ministries, and utilities, with trained local labor, and
market ready economies.<br />
<br />
Just as important, MCC‘s process brings along members of a partner country’s civil society—strengthening stability.<br />
<br />
Elsewhere in West Africa, MCC’s $600 million Senegal II Power Compact
includes the construction of a 225 kilovolt network around Dakar,
accounting for 60% of the country’s electrical demand. This new,
reliable high-voltage network will encourage private-sector investment
in generation, resulting in lower electricity costs.<br />
<br />
MCC also funded a long-term strategy and action plan that underpinned
Senegal’s power sector reform to provide more legal clarity in the
sector and help ensure the financial viability of the country’s
electrical utility.<br />
<br />
Looking ahead, MCC is developing a compact with Burkina Faso. The
proposed compact includes MCC’s biggest investment in battery storage to
date, which aims to assist Burkina Faso’s continued diversification
away from its legacy high-cost thermal plants, and toward increased
solar power and regional imports.<br />
<br />
Through these and other investments in power infrastructure and
sector reforms, MCC is furthering the larger goals of the U.S. and Power
Africa, advancing our mission to reduce poverty through economic
growth. MCC remains committed to working with our partner country
governments, the private sector, and civil society, across Africa, to
unlock the continent’s economic potential.<br />
<br />
We are also sending a clear message that the United States is serious
about building lasting partnerships—moving aid partners to trade
partners—leading to a more prosperous and stable world.<br />
<br />
The challenge of powering the African continent is enormous, but
through 1), collaboration, 2), innovation, and 3)—and arguably the most
important—accountability, together, we will get the job done.<br />
<br />
Thank you.<br />
<br />
###AMIP News (Info@afroimagetv.org)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10256754630649188311noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865706299215641204.post-79975342283697633282020-04-17T13:40:00.001-04:002020-04-17T13:40:22.467-04:00U.S. Condemns Assassination Attempt Against Sudanese Prime Minister Hamdok<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxuutJgVXVCyH9Ng3l2xdRadWf4z-f90vQ8KSmo2io4mtAJt08YgZNqIh5IU4jEzLFOXllui7q4hqaaTouFiOYRiPVTo4FREEp-IDVmU9af3VdN6LW-OykSCg4zn5wQJn4Mk1U_VQclWgl/s1600/PM+Abdalla+Hamdok.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="429" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxuutJgVXVCyH9Ng3l2xdRadWf4z-f90vQ8KSmo2io4mtAJt08YgZNqIh5IU4jEzLFOXllui7q4hqaaTouFiOYRiPVTo4FREEp-IDVmU9af3VdN6LW-OykSCg4zn5wQJn4Mk1U_VQclWgl/s320/PM+Abdalla+Hamdok.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
Morgan Ortagus<br />
Department of State Spokesperson<br />
Washington, DC<br />
<br />
March 9, 2020<br />
<br />
The United States condemns in the strongest possible terms today’s
attack on Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok’s convoy in Khartoum
and offers our condolences to the loved ones of victims killed or
injured in the attack. We continue to monitor the situation closely and
stand ready to assist the Sudanese government as we may be able.<br />
<br />
The United States strongly supports Sudan’s civilian-led transitional
government. We stand with it and the Sudanese people in their pursuit
of peace, security, prosperity, democracy, and equality.<br />
<br />
<br />AMIP News (Info@afroimagetv.org)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10256754630649188311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865706299215641204.post-53350599983443062492020-04-17T13:39:00.001-04:002020-04-17T13:39:09.180-04:00U.S. and Gabon Assume the Co-Secretariat of the Friends of Gulf of Guinea<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX-M7lSFLQS6bE9YLdAdyr24pgW19Lz_V8Ss07v4HBTwHGF3rYZ7PltqT31qNSFcftZhI8e7vxSi7l60gvhJtq_joklNG0MrCzUmTzmwMa6r4C05a9xK36fK-Jz3ZKWiv9Vy8B-CKiKiT1/s1600/Gulf+of+Guinea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="557" data-original-width="891" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX-M7lSFLQS6bE9YLdAdyr24pgW19Lz_V8Ss07v4HBTwHGF3rYZ7PltqT31qNSFcftZhI8e7vxSi7l60gvhJtq_joklNG0MrCzUmTzmwMa6r4C05a9xK36fK-Jz3ZKWiv9Vy8B-CKiKiT1/s400/Gulf+of+Guinea.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Photo: Wikipedia</div>
<br />
Morgan Ortagus, Department of State Spokesperson<br />
March 4, 2020<br />
<br />
The Department of State is pleased to announce that the United States
and the Republic of Gabon have assumed the co-secretariat of the
Friends of Gulf of Guinea, also known as the FoGG, for calendar year
2020. Working together, we will promote unimpeded global commerce and
freedom of navigation; strengthen sustainable marine ecosystems,
including fish stocks and related seafood supply chains; and enhance
maritime governance in the Gulf of Guinea. The Gulf of Guinea is vital
for the shipment of goods, but it is also a rich marine ecosystem that
millions of Africans depend on for their livelihoods. We welcome the
active participation of all the regional coastal states to make progress
in these critical areas.AMIP News (Info@afroimagetv.org)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10256754630649188311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865706299215641204.post-44745180316520483452020-04-17T13:37:00.002-04:002020-04-17T13:37:50.880-04:00Sec. Pompeo Meets DRC President Tshisekedi<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7uTXojedXAV90tjD-8RCN_BZVJBcbL2kdkkwRECYGuZSLFZbWeYuFQgfNQGh9WyryIzrOB4yfO7CtyOQq871Md_RsF7Koj_-Wi_ghVT0XeyhvCL5UvL3pGFRgJdlFpBwsEU4GiPFRhyphenhyphenaX/s1600/Fe%25CC%2581lix+Tshisekedi+and+Pompeo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="799" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7uTXojedXAV90tjD-8RCN_BZVJBcbL2kdkkwRECYGuZSLFZbWeYuFQgfNQGh9WyryIzrOB4yfO7CtyOQq871Md_RsF7Koj_-Wi_ghVT0XeyhvCL5UvL3pGFRgJdlFpBwsEU4GiPFRhyphenhyphenaX/s400/Fe%25CC%2581lix+Tshisekedi+and+Pompeo.jpg" width="400" /></a> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Photo: State Department</div>
<br />
Office of the Spokesperson<br />
Department of State<br />
Washington, DC<br />
<br />
March 3, 2020<br />
<br />
The statement below is attributable to Spokesperson Morgan Ortagus:<br />
<br />
Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo met with Democratic Republic of
the Congo (DRC) President Félix Tshisekedi today in Washington, DC.
Secretary Pompeo and President Tshisekedi discussed strengthened ties
between the United States and the DRC in the year since the country’s
historic peaceful transfer of power. They pledged to work together to
advance the U.S.-DRC Privileged Partnership for Peace and Prosperity
which launched after President Tshisekedi visited Washington D.C. last
April.<br />
<br />
Secretary Pompeo expressed support for President Tshisekedi’s reform
agenda to tackle corruption, strengthen democratic institutions, improve
human rights, end impunity, combat trafficking in persons, and promote
peace in eastern DRC. The Secretary also reiterated our steadfast
support for Congolese efforts to end the ongoing Ebola outbreak and to
enhance partnership on the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA).<br />
<br />
Both leaders expressed hope that the DRC can continue a positive trajectory and realize its vast potential.<br />
<br />
<br />AMIP News (Info@afroimagetv.org)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10256754630649188311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865706299215641204.post-27984879206163659682020-04-16T21:45:00.002-04:002020-04-17T13:35:49.063-04:00Two Africans Among 2020 International Women of Courage Award Recipients<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisjZs9jaY6MQ5OYsjrsmtwedtp3yTokyZLs-0cZXV-raPS-UOhtvbTgWd5lE77TL7O6iPaNJnIBUWBou_qVPjn7dXvuv7XGRjTR08IqO1uvWjJDmwSUbB51aGpw6VRlLw-jmFA2Wm5Ktwq/s1600/International+Women+of+Courage.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="474" data-original-width="900" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisjZs9jaY6MQ5OYsjrsmtwedtp3yTokyZLs-0cZXV-raPS-UOhtvbTgWd5lE77TL7O6iPaNJnIBUWBou_qVPjn7dXvuv7XGRjTR08IqO1uvWjJDmwSUbB51aGpw6VRlLw-jmFA2Wm5Ktwq/s400/International+Women+of+Courage.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
Washington, DC<br />
March 3, 2020<br />
<br />
<h3>
<b>Background</b> </h3>
Now in its 14th year, the Secretary of State’s IWOC Award recognizes
women around the globe who have demonstrated exceptional courage and
leadership in advocating for peace, justice, human rights, gender
equality, and women’s empowerment, often at great personal risk and
sacrifice. Since the inception of this award in March 2007, the
Department of State has recognized 134 women from 73 countries. This
year will bring the total to 146 awardees from 77 countries. U.S.
diplomatic missions overseas nominate one woman of courage from their
respective host countries. The finalists are selected and approved by
senior Department officials. Following the IWOC ceremony, the 12
awardees will participate in an International Visitor Leadership Program
(IVLP) visiting various cities throughout the country, before
reconvening in Los Angeles for the conclusion of their program on March
16.<br />
<br />
The 2020 African awardees are:<br />
<br />
<b>Claire Ouedraogo (Burkina Faso)</b><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPK-cuXxqaEBNBc78TUTiCp5SAaUcZHakACEVgLkqu5f6YKNCceGrJTTyKHpytmqFQa3_747nvSEnrmfR3GzrzCBAw_-DTi6YijZwA_oEXXoZykg1HVmmYLbXTr3hi9-yZCgSArL26D8el/s1600/Claire+Ouedraogo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="383" data-original-width="680" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPK-cuXxqaEBNBc78TUTiCp5SAaUcZHakACEVgLkqu5f6YKNCceGrJTTyKHpytmqFQa3_747nvSEnrmfR3GzrzCBAw_-DTi6YijZwA_oEXXoZykg1HVmmYLbXTr3hi9-yZCgSArL26D8el/s400/Claire+Ouedraogo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPehy_9vahLEg1iQ77RiF1wmJpxgsDUhHp9ueayixVbCw1OtSaClLbntLJ1gqiS8Qhyphenhyphen8dY3a1_48tM6WZ4TA5aU5BreAwP7L4VKXGtaMbLM1nBKUOzAtNauM5DE58UP55nx2cynkq9mVEP/s1600/Claire+Ouedraogo+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="733" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPehy_9vahLEg1iQ77RiF1wmJpxgsDUhHp9ueayixVbCw1OtSaClLbntLJ1gqiS8Qhyphenhyphen8dY3a1_48tM6WZ4TA5aU5BreAwP7L4VKXGtaMbLM1nBKUOzAtNauM5DE58UP55nx2cynkq9mVEP/s400/Claire+Ouedraogo+1.jpg" width="366" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
Claire Ouedraogo is the President of the Songmanegre
Association for Women’s Development (Association féminine songmanegre
pour le développement), an organization she founded that focuses on
eliminating female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) and promoting
female empowerment through family planning education, vocational
training, and micro-credit for women in the rural and underserved Center
North region of Burkina Faso. She also serves as a senior advisor on
the National Council to Combat Female Genital Mutilation. She is an
active member of the Burkinabe Movement for Human and People’s Rights.
In 2016, the prime minister of Burkina Faso nominated her as an
Ambassador of Peace for her work in empowering rural women. Despite the
increased threat of terrorist attacks and violent acts against civilians
in Bam Province, Mrs. Ouedraogo continues her courageous work on behalf
of vulnerable women threatened both by FGM/C and terrorism.<br />
<b>
<br />
<b>Dr. Rita Nyampinga (Zimbabwe)</b><br />
<br />
</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>
</b><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFho6MvNd3dAf09dUKb0HsXwu_Bxw99uRXxXOEB0ZgX9FfwF-ySLdeOHU89ayIS3cO5GfhPhSyeIgg4B9S06gYiejVSOvzCjS8tcIB0v0iP_j69giYZM2_cpZiXpnupdcBMyF-DPijWauM/s1600/Beauty+Rita+Nyampinga.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFho6MvNd3dAf09dUKb0HsXwu_Bxw99uRXxXOEB0ZgX9FfwF-ySLdeOHU89ayIS3cO5GfhPhSyeIgg4B9S06gYiejVSOvzCjS8tcIB0v0iP_j69giYZM2_cpZiXpnupdcBMyF-DPijWauM/s400/Beauty+Rita+Nyampinga.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b> </b>Dr. Rita Nyampinga has been a human rights defender for more
than 35 years, fighting for gender equality in the workplace since she
joined a trade union in 1983. She is also a trained mediator, and a
mentor for girls and young women in leadership. Her experiences during
detention led her to form the Female Prisoners Support Trust to support
women and children in detention and raise awareness of the appalling
conditions they face. Dr. Nyampinga continues to serve on several boards
including Women Coalition of Zimbabwe, Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition,
Women Academy on Political Leadership Excellence, and Women AIDS Support
Network. Her goal is to see a world that protects and respects the
rights of prisoners through a just and fair legal system that is
nondiscriminatory based on gender. In 2010 she became the Social and
Economic Justice Ambassador for Zimbabwe’s Coalition on Debt and
Development. Dr. Nyampinga won the Female Human Rights Activist of the
Year in 2014 from Alpha Media House.<br />
<br />AMIP News (Info@afroimagetv.org)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10256754630649188311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865706299215641204.post-58313319905429745162020-04-16T21:41:00.004-04:002020-04-16T21:41:51.172-04:00Sec. Pompeo’s Call with Tunisian Prime Minister Elyes Fakhfakh<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixaMVmaftj39m5DInyN4oJ7biS6rbbkY2tBDyeMl0oGZnHp8REplNkbaZwdzASzqRkY4LaFi41lTGIXh99ysekvgq3uBCsQRN-93kpR1Qw84g7PmHyUvMuxqC-wP83k9OlvhD4WcqtBd3l/s1600/Tunisian+PM+Elyes+Fakhfakh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="468" data-original-width="838" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixaMVmaftj39m5DInyN4oJ7biS6rbbkY2tBDyeMl0oGZnHp8REplNkbaZwdzASzqRkY4LaFi41lTGIXh99ysekvgq3uBCsQRN-93kpR1Qw84g7PmHyUvMuxqC-wP83k9OlvhD4WcqtBd3l/s400/Tunisian+PM+Elyes+Fakhfakh.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Photo: Reuters</div>
<br />
Office of the Spokesperson<br />
Department of State<br />
Washington, DC<br />
<br />
March 2, 2020<br />
<br />
The statement below is attributable to Spokesperson Morgan Ortagus:<br />
<br />
Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo spoke today with Tunisian Prime
Minister Elyes Fakhfakh. Secretary Pompeo congratulated Prime Minister
Fakhfakh on forming a new government. The Secretary expressed his
commitment to continuing the strong bilateral relationship between the
United States and Tunisia with Prime Minister Fakhfakh’s government and
strengthening economic and commercial ties. He also discussed the
United States’ ongoing partnership with Tunisia in multilateral fora,
including the United Nations Security Council.AMIP News (Info@afroimagetv.org)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10256754630649188311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865706299215641204.post-36167680272385353882020-04-16T21:40:00.003-04:002020-04-16T21:40:26.272-04:00U.S. Engagement with Libya<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb-hKz12HxwN3yKgF_j8t5biBfeaNl_4PtpHX94NPhFBtuqIQRka2tLqdEasVW4qN47_ZYwW6feSXUp7xEBiHhKP1ICE4FbUOQBt9LoBlBkYwZV1opckoKbdGXDsOcqt_xcLD6ACHiOdUW/s1600/Libya.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="608" data-original-width="859" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb-hKz12HxwN3yKgF_j8t5biBfeaNl_4PtpHX94NPhFBtuqIQRka2tLqdEasVW4qN47_ZYwW6feSXUp7xEBiHhKP1ICE4FbUOQBt9LoBlBkYwZV1opckoKbdGXDsOcqt_xcLD6ACHiOdUW/s320/Libya.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<strong></strong><br />
<h3 class="featured-content__headline stars-above">
<strong>Senior State Department Official on U.S. Engagement with Libya</strong></h3>
<strong>
<div class="article-meta">
<div class="article-meta doctype-meta">
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Special Briefing</span></div>
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><div class="article-meta__author-bureau">
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Office of the Spokesperson</span></div>
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><div class="article-meta__audience">
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Department of State</span></div>
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><div class="article-meta__location">
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Washington, D.C.</span></div>
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><div class="article-meta__publish-date">
<br /></div>
<div class="article-meta__publish-date">
<span style="font-weight: normal;">February 28, 2020</span></div>
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>MODERATOR: </b>Today’s briefing will be on background,
attribution to a senior department official or State Department
official. And [Senior State Department Official] is going to start with
remarks and then will take a few of your questions. We think we have
about 20 minutes or so. Go ahead.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL:</b> Yeah. So on Libya,
U.S. Government is immersed in efforts to support an immediate end to
Libya’s ongoing conflict and minimize toxic foreign interference, with
the goal of fostering a stable, unified, and democratic Libyan state
that can partner with the U.S. to defeat terrorism and stabilize energy
production. We meet regularly with Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj,
General Khalifa Haftar, and other Libyan leaders as part of our effort
to de-escalate the fighting and demonstrate that the underlying drivers
of the conflict can be addressed through political negotiations.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">This risks becoming a proxy war. The Libyan civil conflict, reignited
in April 2019 when Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army launched a
military offensive to seize Tripoli from the Government of National
Accord, which was established by the 2015 Libya political agreement and
is led by Prime Minister al-Sarraj. Ten months of inconclusive fighting
with frontlines roughly 10 miles outside central Tripoli that have
remained largely unchanged since April 5th last year have amply
demonstrated that there is no military solution to the conflict, short
of a bloodbath or a long-term insurgency.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Both the LNA and the GNA have sought military and financial support
from outside backers, transforming the Tripoli conflict into a regional
proxy war over political and economic clout in the broader Middle East.
All sides seek to leverage these considerable investments to advance
their security and commercial interests.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Our embassy is supporting efforts by the UN Special Representative
Ghassan Salame to negotiate a cessation of hostilities and a
comprehensive political settlement. We coordinate closely with the UK,
France, Italy, Germany, Egypt, UAE, and Turkey. On January 19th, the UN
and the German Government convened the long-anticipated Berlin
conference, in which all key foreign players in the Libya conflict
committed to suspend military operations and halt the influx of foreign
weapons and fighters. We support UNSMIL as the mediator able to move
this process forward. That’s the external track.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">UNSMIL, the UN mission, is also focusing on an internal track with a
series of intra-Libyan dialogues which seek to address difficult issues,
including the role played by militia groups throughout the country, the
reunification of Libya’s economic institutions, and disagreement about
which political groups should be represented in a future Libyan
government. The UN convened in Geneva just Wednesday of this week
Libya’s first political dialogue since the LNA’s military offensive on
Tripoli last April with the goal of bringing together members from the
eastern House of Representatives, the so-called High State Council, and
broader Libyan civil society. Unfortunately, some invited participants
are attempting to veto that process in a self-serving bid to prolong the
unsustainable status quo.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">The UN has also succeeded in facilitating parallel economic talks in
Tunis on January 6th, Cairo February 9th to 10th, with the goal of
spurring Libyan factions to bolster economic transparency and promote
the equitable distribution of oil revenues. Earlier this month, the GNA
and the LNA each sent five representatives to the February 4 to 9 UN-led
security discussions in Geneva, the so-called 5+5 dialogue, on the
modalities of ceasefire and the terms of the withdrawal of foreign
forces and mercenaries.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">We can talk a little bit about the humanitarian situation. Obviously,
this conflict has had a humanitarian impact. But maybe the three
messages I’d like to highlight today are, first of all, that the LNA
offensive should be suspended immediately so that political negotiations
can succeed. As I said, this has the risk of becoming a large-scale
proxy war involving Turkey, Russia, the UAE, and Egypt.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">It’s clear that in asking the LNA to suspend its offensive we’re not –
that there is a role for Haftar in shaping Libya’s political future.
Nobody is saying there isn’t; nobody is asking him to surrender. But we
think that the way he is going to advance the goals he’s talking about
are best – is best done at the negotiating table. And of course, this is
just the first step in de-escalating the overall conflict. But it’s got
to begin with suspending the current offensive.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">The second point is we support the UN role in convening the
negotiations that have taken place between both sides on the military,
economic, and political issues. Ghassan Salame we think is doing an
excellent job, and we call on all parties to support his efforts.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">And the third thing is we’re determined to reopen our embassy in
Tripoli as soon as humanly possible. That is not going to be an
immediate prospect because of security conditions. Our property was
looted. We have a long way to go. It’s going to begin with baby steps,
with day trips, then with longer overnights, and then ultimately trying
to get some physical facilities on the ground.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">I got to post last August and only made my first trip to Libya two
weeks ago. I got to Benghazi, which is in a more stable part of the
country. I met with Haftar there. I have met with Sarraj multiple times,
but it’s hard to do it inside the – I can’t get into Tripoli just yet.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Obviously, the legacy of what happened in Benghazi in 2012 very much
colors the concern, the considerations that go into sending any
Americans back into Libya, so that there’s a regimented clearance
process for that kind of travel. But again, I am able to meet with
leaders from all sides, if not in Libya then in the neighborhood.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">So with that, I’m happy to take some questions.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>MODERATOR:</b> Okay. Katrina.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>QUESTION:</b> Thanks. Katrina Manson from <em>Financial Times</em>.
Thanks. Given your call for Haftar to stop, can you tell us a little
bit about the support that UAE and others have been providing to him and
the kind of pressure you’re putting on them to stop their support and
encourage him to cease his operations, too?</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL:</b> We have spoken to
all of the parties that are involved in supplying all sides of this
conflict. The approach we’re taking is to try to essentially get across
the idea it’s not in anyone’s interest for you to fuel this conflict;
it’s only going to escalate, as we’ve seen it doing, into a regional
proxy war.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Obviously, some of these countries are countries with which the U.S.
has multiple equities and deep and complex relationships. I – so Libya
is not the defining issue in those relationships necessarily, but they
have heard our message. The conflict – to the extent the conflict is
fueled in part by outside actors, they have deep and deeply felt
concerns of their own about the role of political Islam, about the
stability of their regimes, about regional influence. And we can share
our views, but we can’t necessarily force them to alter their behavior.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Our main point is you’ve all signed up to obligations under the UN,
and the UN has passed the resolutions calling on everybody to observe an
arms embargo. You should observe it. And that applies to the UAE; it
applies to Turkey; it applies to Russia and a few others.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>MODERATOR:</b> Humeyra.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>QUESTION: </b>Hi. Are you doing anything to get the oil
blockade lifted? A couple of days ago, the eastern side said they can’t
force an end to it because it was a popular decision. You’re doing a
bunch of things with them. You’re talking to them. But are you doing
anything specifically with regards to the oil?</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: </b>I mean, we have
called for an end to the oil blockade. We have spoken with the various
parties about the importance of ending this blockade as quickly as
possible. We’re not really convinced this is the result of a popular or
tribal dissatisfaction. I think this has been – whatever concerns there
were originally that at a local level we think have been manipulated
with the intention of using oil as a political tool.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">That’s obviously not in Libya’s interests. The result now is that
Libya’s oil revenues have almost entirely been shut off. The country is
having to live off its reserves, which are not insubstantial, but this
is not a way to manage the country. And it is already having a
humanitarian impact, and we believe that this should stop soon.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">We met with Mr. Mustafa Sanalla, the head of the National Oil
Corporation, last week before I came back. He’s working on this issue.
He’ll be at what’s called CERAWeek in Houston in March. We’re trying to
use that as a platform also to send the signal that this oil blockade
needs to stop.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>MODERATOR:</b> Carol.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>QUESTION:</b> I was wondering what you – what your
assessment or what’s the U.S. assessment of what it would really take
for General Haftar to stand down in the offensive against Tripoli. And
short of calling for it to end, is the United States doing anything to
make that happen other than calling for an end to it?</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL:</b> Time will tell. I’m going to leave it at that.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>QUESTION:</b> Whoa.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL:</b> Sorry.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>QUESTION:</b> Is that the answer to both my questions or —</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL:</b> Well, what was the —</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>QUESTION: </b>Well, the first one is what would it take for him? What’s he looking for? What would it take for him to stand down?</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL:</b> I mean, you’d
have to ask him. He is – I think everybody’s who’s dealt with him has
come away understanding that this is a person with a very fixed view of
things. But if he really does have his country’s best interests at
heart, if he really is determined, which he says he is, to go after what
we call the three Ms – the militias, the money, and the Muslim
Brotherhood – what he is doing now is directly counterproductive to
those goals. He is – his offensive is empowering militias in Tripoli.
It’s empowering extremists. It’s making it impossible to track how the
money’s being distributed across the country. So if he’s really
interested in doing the best thing for Libya, and I will take him at his
word that he is, then the thing to do right now would be to suspend his
activities – again, we’re not calling on him to surrender – suspend the
offensive and give the negotiating process a chance.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>MODERATOR:</b> Okay. Michael.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>QUESTION:</b> Sir, you mentioned the toxic role that
outside players have had in Libya. And can you please explain: What
specifically is Turkey doing? Its Turkish military personnel plus
Turkish-backed Syrian fighters seem to have been imported there in the
thousands. What, specifically, is the Russians doing with the Wagner
Group? What is the UAE doing? Can you give us some information as to
what these specific outside forces are doing in the conflict in numbers
and weapons systems they’re bringing in? And his – just to clarify maybe
your answer to a previous question, has any of this slowed down or
abated, or is it just ongoing despite calls for them to observe an —</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: </b>Well, in answer to
the last part, I think I’d say things do wax and wane a little bit, but
that kind of relates to how I would answer your question overall. There
was a sequence to this. It kind of began on one side. And as that side
ramped up, and as they supported Haftar and as his offensive became more
and more threatening to the government in Tripoli, that government went
out and asked for help. They went to the Turks and they said, we need
you. And the Turks said okay. And they had their reasons. There was the
maritime agreement that was signed on maritime economic zones and
possible oil exploration that was, I think, the price the Turks asked
for. But they made a commitment to then support the government in
Tripoli, which has actually, or at least until a couple weeks ago,
stabilized the situation and was probably responsible for the parties
deciding to take part in these 5+5 talks in Geneva.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">When folks look eyeball to eyeball and say do we really want this to
escalate? Maybe not. I think the Emiratis at that point told Haftar you
should go to Geneva. The Turks encouraged the GNA to do that. But where
it goes from here is an open question.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">The thing with Turkey is complicated by what’s going on in Idlib now.
The Russians have got the Turks in a very difficult situation. And
there’s an interplay between what’s going on in Idlib and what’s going
on in Tripoli that I don’t think anyone has completely figured out yet.
The Russian presence, of course, the thousands of Wagner mercenaries is
immensely destabilizing. And that was kind of the big game changer back
in the fall when that – when people woke up and realized this presence
was there in support of Haftar. And it became clear that not just
regional, but even U.S. interests were also at stake here, because it’s
clear the Russians see strategic advantage now in Libya – low risk and
high gain.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">And so where this goes from here will be a factor of whether
ultimately these – what’s now a proxy war involving proxies, whether
this actually becomes a conflict between – it’s not hard to imagine the
Turks shooting – killing Russians in Tripoli, or the Turks shooting down
an Emirati plane, or an – or the – there could easily be something that
now raises this to international conflict levels. And our view is that,
and our belief is that none of these parties wants things to reach that
level.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>QUESTION:</b> And who are the Syrian – the
Turkish-backed Syrian fighters that are going there? And what about the
Emiratis, what are they doing?</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL:</b> My – I mean, there
have been varying degrees of sophisticated weaponry introduced by
various sides. I’m not an expert on all that. My impression is the
Emiratis have pulled back a little bit in recent days or weeks. The
interesting thing in a way is that each side has got its mercenaries.
Haftar’s got the Wagner folks. And for some reason, Erdogan decided to
send these Free Syrian Army fighters from Idlib. I don’t pretend to
understand why he started with them. There are regular Turkish forces
also in Tripoli, and a really good point of departure, if we could first
consolidate the ceasefire, would then be to start getting the
mercenaries out.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>MODERATOR:</b> Dan.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL:</b> On both sides.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>QUESTION: </b>Thank you.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>QUESTION:</b> What is the U.S. prepared to do in terms
of using its leverage or influence, diplomatic or military power, to
change the situation? Because the way you’re describing it, it does
sound almost like you’re a spectator on the sides, and these – part of
Russia’s seizing the initiative, Turkey is taking action. Is Libya a
place where the U.S. will just have to watch these – this proxy war play
out?</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL:</b> I mean, I think my
answer to that would be it’s interesting to see how all of the parties,
both in Libya and among the Europeans, believe that the United States
influence can play a pivotal role in bringing this to a resolution, and
not through military force. I think it’s because so many of these
parties have specific vested interests, and nobody – there are very few
parties who sort of stand back and look at this from a kind of distant,
more objective perspective. I think one reason the Germans were brought
into this was because some people thought Merkel was kind of removed
from the fray in all this, and it would be a nice way for her to begin
to leave her term in office, by bringing Europeans together on an
important issue. And the Germans have played an important role here.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">I don’t think anybody expects the U.S. to solve this thing, or if
they do – I mean, I should rephrase that. Some people think the U.S. can
just snap its fingers and solve this thing. Folks in Libya. That’s not
the case. Our role, I think, is to help mobilize and galvanize
international support for a solution both internally and externally.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>QUESTION:</b> How concerned are you about the terrorist threat given what’s going on on the ground?</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL:</b> The terrorist threat in Libya?</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>QUESTION:</b> Mm-hmm.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL:</b> This is very much
one of the downsides of this conflict. It’s taken – people’s eyes has
been taken – have been taken off the ball of the ability of terrorist
groups to consolidate themselves. We saw them start to reform last year.
AFRICOM conducted some strikes. Some of these were effective. And our
sense is the threat has abated to an extent in terms of an organized
threat, but Libya – especially if you look down in the south – is such a
free for all that it’s – we’re already getting indications this is an
environment that’s ripe for terrorist groups to reform themselves. And
we want – one of the reasons this conflict needs to end as quickly as
possible is so that you can have a stable, effective government in
Tripoli that can be an effective partner in dealing with this threat.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>MODERATOR:</b> Time for one more question. Anyone?</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>QUESTION:</b> Hi. Just can you expand a little bit more
on how the Idlib situation is playing out here? Because it is reaching
kind of a climax there.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL:</b> I mean, you really
need to talk to Ambassador Satterfield. I did go to Ankara about three
weeks ago, and he and I made the rounds and talked to the Turks and
talked about how their presence was an important factor in Tripoli, and
it’s important to calibrate this presence correctly. And ultimately, of
course, we want all foreign countries to get their troops out of Libya.
The Idlib thing was starting to come to a crescendo then. There have
just been some Turkish troops killed.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">I mean, all I can say – my sense is that Syria, northern Syria is a
huge priority for the Turks, also for the Russians, probably more
important than Libya. But now the Libyan factor has complicated the
equation for all concerned. And one thing you can be sure of is Moscow
will figure out how to use this to maximum leverage, maximum advantage,
as they pursue their interests in that particular region, both in
consolidating Assad’s regime and in trying to gain a foothold in the
Southern Med.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>QUESTION:</b> And what did your contacts with the Russians – you said you went to Ankara, but have you been talking to the Russians?</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL:</b> Well, I’ve had a
couple of bilaterals with Bogdanov, the Russian deputy foreign minister,
on the margins of these meetings in Berlin. Our ambassador in Moscow,
Ambassador Sullivan, has met with Bogdanov. So we’ve begun to kind of
trade views, but we don’t have an established bilateral pattern yet.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>MODERATOR:</b> Okay. Thanks.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>QUESTION:</b> Thank you, [Senior State Department Official]. Appreciate it.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>QUESTION: </b>Thank you.</span><br />
</div>
</div>
</div>
</strong>AMIP News (Info@afroimagetv.org)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10256754630649188311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865706299215641204.post-8593538812360069952020-04-16T21:31:00.005-04:002020-04-16T21:31:47.857-04:00U.S. Officials Speak on Developments in South Sudan’s Peace Process<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<strong></strong><br />
<h3 class="featured-content__headline stars-above">
<strong>Senior State Department Official On Developments in South Sudan’s Peace Process</strong></h3>
<strong>
<div class="article-meta">
<div class="article-meta doctype-meta">
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Special Briefing</span></div>
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><div class="article-meta__author-bureau">
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Office of the Spokesperson</span></div>
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><span style="font-weight: normal;">Department of State</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><div class="article-meta__location">
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Washington, D.C.</span></div>
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><div class="article-meta__publish-date">
<br /></div>
<div class="article-meta__publish-date">
<span style="font-weight: normal;">February 26, 2020</span></div>
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span></div>
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><div class="entry-content">
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>MODERATOR:</b> Thanks for being here. Today we have [Senior State
Department Official], who’s going to talk to us about developments in
South Sudan. The attribution for this talk will be background, senior
State Department official. Sir, go ahead.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL:</b> Okay. Well, I don’t know how
much – how closely you all follow the South Sudan peace process, but
there’s a lot of peace processes in the world, and this is the one I’ve
been following the most closely. I’ve been at post for about 21 months
at U.S. Embassy in Juba, and when I started the conflict was still
ongoing. They were in the throes of some peace talks that people weren’t
sure were even that promising. But a few months later – in fact, in
September 2018 – a peace agreement was signed which kicked the
government and the country into what they call the pre-transitional
period. They had a bunch of work that the agreements that had to take
place before they could really start the transition. And the
development, the pre-transition was extended a couple times, and it
shook the confidence of the country in whether the peace process would
even work.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">But the big development that’s just happened is this last Saturday a
new unity government as called for in the peace agreement came into
being, and that kicked the country into the next phase, which is the
transition phase. That’s supposed to last three years, and then the
country’s first national election since its independence. So it’s a big
deal if it all gets there. There’s a – the peace agreement is really a
fulsome agreement. They call it the revitalized peace agreement, because
it’s – the 2015 agreement that failed, they took that as the starting
point for the new agreement. And it has a good, healthy reform agenda
built into it. And this transition period is when they’re supposed to
start getting to some of those reforms.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">So everyone’s looking to see: Will this new unity government work?
Will it remain an inclusive and unified government? What will their work
habits be? And really, what I – the main take is if it works, if the
parties work collaboratively, it has a chance of working. If they
continue to be competitors within this government, it’s – it has a lot
less chance of working. So a collaborative approach is what we’re
looking for. We’re looking for signs of that collaboration, attitudinal
changes. But really, collaboration is the word of the day there, I
think. It was compromise leading up to this. The parties had to
compromise to get here, but they’ve done that.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">So now the work continues, and starts in some cases. A lot of the
obligations for the pre-transition period haven’t, in fact, been
completed. There’s still a lot of work to be done on the security
sector.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>QUESTION: </b>You said “have not”? Sorry.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL:</b> May have to have a – there –
the security sector was supposed to be unified, so the rebel armies and
the government’s armies were supposed to have been brought together.
And that wasn’t completed before, but there was enough confidence that
it was starting, that process was starting. So this new government will
have to continue that process in the security sector. They’ll have to
kind of reinvent how they do governance. Again, a collaborative approach
on that would be better. And then the other parts of the peace
agreement that should kick in are a recovery program that includes
returns of refugees and displaced people; improvements in public
financial management and transparency and counter-corruption;
transitional justice is a big chapter, so reconciliation and
transitional justice. And then there’s also a chapter in the peace
agreement on a constitutional process that will kick in leading to the
elections. And that’s where they will have these big national dialogues
about federalism and the shape of the country and the shape of the
future government that comes after the transition period.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">So it’s a big agenda, a very big agenda. And this is where we’re at
right now. A lot of people will be looking to see what the international
community’s role in this process will be. The key players are the
neighbors of South Sudan, the IGAD countries, which were the guarantors
of this process. Sudan is the new chairman of the IGAD, but Ethiopia,
Kenya, Uganda are all very key players here. And then if you look at
concentric circles, the AU also has a lot of roles to play here in the
peace process, and the United Nations. The UNMISS mission is one of the
biggest – the biggest by some parameters – peacekeeping mission in the
world right now. And we have the pen on the resolutions up in New York
on the Security Council, so we and other internationals are paying a lot
of attention to this as well.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">But the nature of that partnership – on our part, at least – the
nature of that partnership really will depend on the nature of this new
government. Are they taking responsible decisions that are focused on
the needs of their people, or are they taking self-interested decisions
based on their own kind of political needs or their needs for power or
corrupt finances? And so this is, again, a watchful situation, but it’s
also more hopeful than it’s been in a long time.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">So there’s – right now, this weekend in Juba, the mood was good,
relatively good. But the – it doesn’t erase the healthy skepticism
either, and people need to build their confidence up from the beginning.
So confidence – I guess I’d talk about collaboration and compromise and
confidence – it’s a lot of c words – but confidence of the people in
their new government, confidence of the parties within the new
government in each other, and confidence of the internationals in the
process going forward. That’s just top-level stuff.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">And there are other things happening in South Sudan, too – major
floods this last year, locusts just came across the border. Those are
things – if the ceasefire holds, and the ceasefire has been holding
mostly since the peace agreement was signed in September 2018, these
other problems which are major, major disasters, emergencies – the world
knows how to help deal with those if we can. If the pause is there in
the fighting, I think we can keep working on all these other issues.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">But the – all the numbers are really off the charts in South Sudan.
It is – it’s the biggest humanitarian emergency on the continent, and
that means it’s big. The brutality of the civil war that lasted five
years – really, it’s off the charts in a lot of ways, what happened to
that country, and so the trauma that it’s left with is very, very
serious and it pervades everything. So it’s a hefty set of tasks ahead,
and – but it – again, it depends on this new government. Are they going
to be collaborative and work in the interests of the people or not? So
this is what we’re watching, and not just watching, we’re pushing as
well. We’re applying pressure and engagement and trying to make sure
that it works.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>MODERATOR:</b> Why don’t we take a few questions?</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL:</b> Yeah, please.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>MODERATOR:</b> All right.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>QUESTION: </b>(Inaudible) ask about the – you talked a couple
times about the confidence level of – or there’s a great deal of
suspicion. Given the fact that there is – this has been such a tortured
road that has been really kind of dominated by personalities and
personal vanity of the leaders, who were called out repeatedly about
this, what is the confidence level that Machar and these guys are going
to be able to actually get along and not just —</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: </b>Yeah, well, like you said – yeah.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>QUESTION: </b>— not just plunder the place and do what they have done every single time since Garang died?</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL:</b> Yeah, it’s Kiir and Machar
again, so confidence – like, there’s a lot of different kinds of
confidence. Can these two parties and then the other parties – it’s a
much more inclusive agreement than the last one. There’s five major
parties to this peace agreement, and some of those are umbrellas that
include many more parties. So that – the first thing about keeping the
ceasefire going is that these parties have confidence in each other, but
the citizens’ confidence in their government will be a little harder to
come by, and we’ll be – we won’t jump into changing the way we do
assistance right away either, so we’re very watchful. We don’t – for
instance, none of our assistance goes to or through the government. We
do it – we’re the biggest donors there because of the humanitarian
emergencies, but our assistance does not go to or through the government
because we can’t be sure that it will be well spent that way. But – I
don’t know, you call —</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>MODERATOR:</b> (Inaudible.) Carol.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>QUESTION:</b> I was in Juba a couple years ago and it was still
pretty – sort of dicey. Aid workers were in fear for their lives, and
convoys were being attacked, and the ambassador herself was living in
the middle of a highly guarded compound. I’m wondering if the security
situation has improved at all there, if you see any signs of that.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">And also, just following up on what Matt said, beyond hope, do you –
is there anything concrete to give you reason that Kiir and Machar will
be able to put aside their rivalry? Because I still see them being
described as bitter rivals.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL:</b> On the security situation,
we’re still on that compound. I tell my colleagues here – I tell them we
all live in hooches, but they’re the nicest hooches in the Foreign
Service. We have a good degree of community and morale, but it is – we
have a curfew, we’re unaccompanied, one-year assignments for most of my
officers. So it’s a tough place, like some of the other places that you
cover more frequently in your news programs.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">That said, since that ceasefire went in place, there’s still a lot of
criminality in the city and it’s very unpredictable for our local
staff, for instance. For South Sudanese it’s a very difficult
environment still, but it’s gotten much better since those times. Since
the ceasefire went into effect, it’s – but it’s still a lot of crime,
and the fear that it could revert to conflict is – that trauma lasts a
lot longer than – people are going to be careful for a long time on that
front.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">It’s still – I mean, we – the UN keeps a running tab of humanitarians
who are attacked or killed, and so we still sometimes throw up the
factoid that it’s the most dangerous place in the world for
humanitarians. There was a good long stretch at the beginning of 2019
for about nine months were there weren’t any casualties among
humanitarian workers, but then starting in the fall there have been a
few different attacks where people have been either killed or victims in
other ways of attacks. So there’s – it’s still not – it’s still a
dangerous place, but it’s better than it had been during the open
conflict.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">So a lot of violence in the country. Even with the national-level
conflict right now under a ceasefire, there’s a lot of violence around
the country in any case. There’s cattle-raiding violence,
community-level violence that’s very serious – lots of guns in the
country. And so it’s – but again, those are the kind of problems that if
the ceasefire holds at the national level, there are methodologies and
ways to start dealing with that and making some inroads in that.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Hope for the future. We all hope – I – one of the signs that this is
different than before, there are assertions by all parties that it’s
different this time, assertions which have to be tested and watched very
carefully. So and there —</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>QUESTION: </b>When you say “assertions” —</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL:</b> And there are some – there’s
some talk about even kind of a – with a religious angle to it. The
president talked about – in the speech when he was announcing the new
government, talked about his experience with the Pope last spring where
the Pope knelt down and kissed the feet of these leaders and really
challenged them to be more humble and less – think more about their
country and less about their personal power.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">So —</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>MODERATOR: </b>Robbie.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>QUESTION:</b> Yeah. I mean, to that point, it feels a bit like
Groundhog Day where it’s the same actors making the same if not a
similar deal. So to phrase it another way, I mean, do you – does the
State Department have faith in Kiir and Machar themselves to carry
forward this? What’s changed for these two personalities in the past
three or four years that makes you say, yes, we believe you when you say
these things are different this time, even though you’ve broken so many
ceasefires and so many agreements before?</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: </b>No, well, this is not an
agreement that we signed. In 2015 we signed that one. This one we’ve
participated in in the sense of putting pressure on, and we have been
watchful, and we have been commenting on it and pushing the parties
along, but this is not our agreement in that sense. We haven’t – we
don’t – it’s not our job now to pronounce it – that it’s good. We will
be watchful, we will be – have healthy skepticism, and we will hopefully
see some positive things that we can encourage and enable as well, but
we’ll also be calling them if they’re – if they’re making some of the
same mistakes.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">So I think it’s more about watching their deeds rather than giving
them a – pronouncing all is well, giving them a grade, a passing grade.
It’s too early for that. And we’ll have to watch their institutional
reforms – are some of these reforms going to kick in that mean – that
can make it more than about the two individuals, right? One of the
things that’s different about this agreement, this version of the
agreement, the revitalized version, is it’s more inclusive than the
other one. It’s not just the two parties. Now it’s a lot more parties.
But it’s – these are still the two big men and this is still where most
people focus. If it’s going to fall apart, it – this is where it would
fall apart, along that fracture.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>QUESTION:</b> And just a quick follow-on. If it falls apart, is
the U.S. readying any additional sanctions on senior South Sudanese
leaders in that case? I know there were sanctions on one of the vice
presidents I think late last year.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: </b>Yeah, yeah. Well, I’ve told
everybody we reserve the right to use all our diplomatic tools,
including more sanctions, if necessary. We have the – we have all the
same authorities in place, and I’ve made sure that that’s clear. Right
now with the developments just this last week, Kiir did what we and
others have been asking him to do – the last big stumbling block to
making this new government was temporarily resolving this question of
how many states there would be. And I don’t know if you know that
background at all, but Kiir and his party favored 32 states; all the
other opposition were saying 23. Kiir decided to make a decision not as
the head of his party but as the head of the nation and agreed to a
10-state approach, which was the original number in the 2015 agreement.
It’s complicated. But he did what the world asked him to do, which is
get beyond his party’s immediate interests and make a decision that was –
could facilitate the formation of this new government.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">So he’s done that. Machar had to make a tough decision also whether
he would go along with this, and they did. So, I mean, they made these
tough decisions for themselves that they have to go back and sell to
their coalitions, and so I think we want to see that – if that works –
give them a little bit of a pat on the back for that, but not lose our
watchfulness on this.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>MODERATOR:</b> Okay, there are a couple more. Yeah, Francesco.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>QUESTION:</b> Thank you. So yeah, to follow on the sanctions, is
the U.S. considering lifting the designations you announced while there
was a stalemate on the national unity government or are you prepared to
wait and see?</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL:</b> Yeah. Well, there’s a lot of
different kinds of sanctions. So on the individual, targeted sanctions,
I’d – Treasury, OFAC, is who puts those in place, so there is some news
out of there today that you might – if you want to track it down, I’d
point you towards Treasury on one of those, but those – that’s one kind
of sanction. There’s also Department of Commerce has some export
controls on the – on U.S. companies that would be dealing with the
petroleum and mining industry. Those are still there. Those, I think,
should be there till there’s improvements in the investment climate, in
the kind of transparency and public financial management field, make
sure that they are spending their petroleum revenues in a way that
benefits the country rather than contributes to the conflict.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">And then the other big area of sanctions are the UN sanctions,
including the arms embargo, and I think it’s way too early to consider
lifting the arms embargo.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>QUESTION:</b> Is that – the Treasury action, this is the Israeli guy?</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL:</b> That’s the one that’s today, yeah. Yeah.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>QUESTION:</b> Which were moved?</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL:</b> So it – and I haven’t even seen anything on that, so that’s why I refer you to them, yeah.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>QUESTION:</b> But it’s under – it was under the South Sudan sanctions authority —</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL:</b> Yes, it was under —</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>QUESTION:</b> — but it wasn’t on a Sudanese –</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL:</b> Yeah. And even those
targeted ones are – yeah, it was because of his business in South Sudan,
but he wasn’t a South Sudanese citizen, and his companies as well. We
have an executive order under which some of the individual sanctions
have been levied, and then we’ve also – there are some that have been
levied under Global Magnitsky Act. And I’d have to check notes to make
sure which is which, but I think this is under the executive order.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>MODERATOR:</b> Abbie.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>QUESTION:</b> I know that sexual violence was a huge weapon of war
in the last couple of years, and with the formation of this unity
government, I wonder what accountability you see for the perpetrators of
those crimes or what the U.S. is involved in in helping the women who
survived that.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL:</b> Yeah. It was a huge problem
during the war, and it’s not an automatic thing that with the end of
the war even that this will go away as an issue, as a malady of – I
mean, it’s a terrible situation. These numbers are, again, off the
charts, and it’s a complicated phenomenon too. Some people will say it’s
cultural; some people say it’s the conflict; and it’s probably a crazy
mixture of both of those.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">So there’s a lot of attention to this issue set, and we’ve been
pushing all the individual parties to make progress on this even before
they came together as a government. And so I think there will be a lot
of internationals that continue to push. And there are some South
Sudanese who are really becoming active in pushing for this. So I think
the solutions for justice in these cases are going to have to be – it’s a
mix. It’s going to need multiple tools. So we would love to see if
there can be more developed in the South Sudanese justice systems and
courts. The UN’s been helping with mobile courts to go out to places in
the country that don’t have access to judicial services any other way
than that. So that’s a starter kit, but they need to develop their own
institutions.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">But also, some of the mechanisms that are to be built into the reform
efforts, chapter 5 of the peace agreement is on transitional justice.
So there’s a Truth, Reconciliation, and Healing Commission. There is
supposed to be a hybrid court – it’s an AU-South Sudan hybrid court for,
one would think, the worst perpetrators of human rights atrocities
during the war. So that has to be constituted. And all these tools
together – there’s also other international mechanisms. There’s the UN
Commission for Human Rights in South Sudan that’s established in Geneva.
We used to have the pen on that when we were still on the council. And a
report just came out from them that covered a whole range of human
rights issues, including starvation as a crime, which is a kind of
interesting take, but some of the gender-based violence reporting that’s
come out of the UN system and our own reporting, it’s been just – it’s
so difficult to deal with. I have to say it’s probably one of the most
difficult things to kind of comprehend the magnitude of it when I got
there, and I’ve worked in places like Taliban, Afghanistan, and I found
South Sudan shocking at the level of sexual violence there.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>MODERATOR:</b> Do you have time for one more?</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL:</b> Sure.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>MODERATOR:</b> All right, take one more. Conor.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>QUESTION:</b> Just a quick —</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL:</b> I’m just skipping out of a boring meeting, so this is —</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>QUESTION:</b> A quick follow-up on Carol’s question about security.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>QUESTION:</b> And we can keep asking.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"></span><span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></div>
<div class="entry-content">
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>QUESTION:</b> At the end of last month there was an embassy alert
about a terror plot against the embassy and against U.S. personnel in
the country. I was wondering if you could provide any more details on
that, what groups, and whether or not that threat still remains in the
country.</span><span style="font-weight: normal;"></span><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL:</b> Well, we took steps. We had
some evidence to believe that the embassy was being watched by bad guys.
So we did a couple things. We had very good cooperation from the South
Sudanese police and National Security Services to help us make sure
security in our neighborhood was good, and we’ve done all the things
that most embassies do. We took steps to vary our times and our routes,
and in fact, we’d already had warnings out to the public about security
conditions in South Sudan. So it didn’t look too different to too many
people, but we did take some extra steps. I don’t know if we’ll ever
kind of know the outcome of that, but —</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>QUESTION:</b> Was it a local actor or —</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL:</b> Oh, don’t even know. I mean,
that’s – yeah, it’s – don’t even – it doesn’t matter. We had to – it
wasn’t a South Sudanese if that’s what you mean by local.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>QUESTION:</b> Right.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL:</b> But local like – yeah, I
mean, in South Sudan. Yeah, and our embassy in Juba is what – but at the
same time, there was – you know how everybody uses WhatsApp over there.
So there was a WhatsApp message going around that wasn’t really what we
were looking at, but that’s really what most people were reacting to.
So – and that had all sorts of information that I never saw in our
threat information, but I think it was – it was just – it came after the
month where you had the events in Baghdad and there was an al-Shabaab
attack in Kenya. And so I think some of that broader rumor stuff was
actually earlier from just kind of the regional look at things.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">So, yeah, that’s – but ours – we just took a – like I said, we – at
the beginning, we already had curfew and we already had a lot of other
security precautions. We just stepped up our good practices like varying
your times and routes, so we’re hanging in there.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>MODERATOR:</b> All right. Thanks for being here with us today. Very much appreciate the —</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL:</b> Okay. Yeah. Thank you so much.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>QUESTION: </b>Thank you for taking the time.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: </b>And thank you for attention to South Sudan issues.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>QUESTION:</b> There isn’t anything more on terrain combat, is there?</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL:</b> Not lately, no. I mean, that
was one of the things, when I got there, that the verdict wasn’t out
yet, but then it has since – they’ve delivered that verdict, but there’s
still stuff that needs —</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>QUESTION:</b> They still haven’t paid, right? Or have they —</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL:</b> They’ve – I don’t think they
have, no. I mean, that’s not the question. The question is on – terrain
was just whether they – the people – some of the victims have gone back
to ask for higher compensation, and that hasn’t gone anywhere yet.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>QUESTION:</b> Okay.</span><br />
</div>
</strong>AMIP News (Info@afroimagetv.org)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10256754630649188311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865706299215641204.post-9091710529966841002020-04-16T21:18:00.002-04:002020-04-16T21:18:46.964-04:00Asst. Sec. Cooper Travels to Mauritania, Algeria, and Tunisia<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiDd_DVlyCp1ISrV-RJgw7_m8o-TW6dm4Hn5fCCdEz0LI2kEotlUZFIp0-bCaN-6BuRG9hmyIT07sdG8CksP7pViz-hMEKCJoDH7D_D3EqFi0MgOGYVzC6Dwh4-yWrS1wPIeDdeqEvtO8g/s1600/R.+Clarke+Cooper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1237" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiDd_DVlyCp1ISrV-RJgw7_m8o-TW6dm4Hn5fCCdEz0LI2kEotlUZFIp0-bCaN-6BuRG9hmyIT07sdG8CksP7pViz-hMEKCJoDH7D_D3EqFi0MgOGYVzC6Dwh4-yWrS1wPIeDdeqEvtO8g/s200/R.+Clarke+Cooper.jpg" width="154" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
Office of the Spokesperson<br />
Department of State<br />
Washington, DC<br />
<br />
February 26, 2020<br />
<br />
Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs R. Clarke
Cooper travels to Mauritania, Algeria, and Tunisia February 27-March 4,
2020, to expand U.S. security cooperation and defense trade that
enhances our shared security across Africa and the Maghreb.<br />
<br />
In Mauritania February 27-28, Assistant Secretary Cooper will join
senior civilian and military officials from over 30 countries to observe
Flintlock 2020, U.S. Africa Command’s premier and largest annual
Special Operations Forces exercise. Established in 2005, the Flintlock
multinational military exercise series is an annual, African-led,
integrated military and law enforcement effort that has brought together
special operations forces throughout northern and western Africa to
join their western counterparts to counter malign activity and violent
extremism.<br />
<br />
In Algeria February 29-March 2, Assistant Secretary Cooper will hold
consultations with senior civilian and military officials on regional
security and related issues.<br />
<br />
In Tunisia March 2-4, Assistant Secretary Cooper will consult with
senior civilian and military officials in Tunis, then travel to Djerba
to attend the International Aerospace & Defence Exhibition in
Tunisia 2020, where he will meet with industry executives, and join
other senior U.S. government officials to advocate for U.S. companies
offering the latest aerospace and defense technologies.<br />
AMIP News (Info@afroimagetv.org)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10256754630649188311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865706299215641204.post-86329443743161594942020-04-16T21:17:00.001-04:002020-04-16T21:17:24.167-04:00More U.S. States Can Now Export Wheat to Kenya<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6NzVsNJ2RJQa0JQk6QNANvpEFEihPXEuEL_x9qL6ksmN9TAWPAc4NnGSydY07QOVeq1wriOUqlG4LB0ZVt7ZUX9jqQZqW5q956PmS36vRu10aRlh6bskIJ6m1rWuaADJlJ2u3WkMssPqn/s1600/Wheat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="506" data-original-width="900" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6NzVsNJ2RJQa0JQk6QNANvpEFEihPXEuEL_x9qL6ksmN9TAWPAc4NnGSydY07QOVeq1wriOUqlG4LB0ZVt7ZUX9jqQZqW5q956PmS36vRu10aRlh6bskIJ6m1rWuaADJlJ2u3WkMssPqn/s400/Wheat.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="usda-block usda-page-title-block" data-block-plugin-id="page_title_block" id="block-usda-page-title">
<h2 class="usda-page-title">
USDA Expands Market for U.S. Wheat: Adds Idaho, Oregon, and Washington to List of States that Can Export Wheat to Kenya</h2>
</div>
<aside class="news-release-info">
<div>
US Department of Agriculture</div>
<div>
Washington, DC</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<strong>Press Release</strong></div>
<div>
Release No. 0162.20</div>
</aside>
<div>
<br />
<strong>WASHINGTON, Feb. 25, 2020</strong> – U.S. Secretary of
Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced that, effective immediately,
U.S. wheat may now be shipped to Kenya regardless of state of origin or
port of export. This important step will allow U.S. wheat from Idaho,
Oregon, and Washington to be added to the list of states that can ship
wheat to Kenya.<br />
<br />
“American farmers in the Pacific Northwest now have full access to
the Kenyan wheat market,” said Greg Ibach, U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA) Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory
Programs. “This action proves our commitment to securing fair treatment
and greater access for U.S. products in the global marketplace.”<br />
<br />
For the last 12 years, USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service (APHIS) has worked closely with Kenyan officials to address
plant health concerns that kept U.S. wheat exports from Idaho, Oregon,
and Washington out of Kenya. The U.S.-Kenya Trade and Investment Working
Group, established after an August 2018 White House meeting between
President Donald Trump and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, provided the
forum for APHIS, USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service and the Office of
the U.S. Trade Representative to finally resolve this longstanding issue
with Kenya.<br />
<br />
On January 28, 2020, Kenya’s national plant protection organization officially signed the <em>Export Certification Protocol between Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service and APHIS/PPQ on Wheat Grain Consignments to Kenya</em>
for immediate implementation. The protocol gives U.S. exporters full
access to Kenya’s wheat market, valued at nearly $500 million annually.<br />
<br />
“Going forward, the USDA team looks forward to building on this
success and further strengthening our relationship with Kenya as we
pursue a new bilateral free trade agreement that will create additional
market opportunities for U.S. producers and exporters,” said Under
Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Ted McKinney.<br />
<h4>
Background:</h4>
After 12 years of discussion and a U.S. technical visit, Kenya agreed
to lift its prohibition on U.S. wheat exports from Idaho, Oregon, and
Washington. Kenya will now accept APHIS export phytosanitary inspection
and certification for wheat from any U.S. state of origin or port of
export, effective immediately.<br />
<br />
As part of the technical agreement, APHIS will work with U.S.
stakeholders to enhance general surveillance for flag smut of wheat <em>(Urocystis agropyri)</em>
in Idaho, Oregon and Washington and ask industry to support a technical
visit from Kenya to examine crop surveillance measures for flag smut.<br />
<br />
###</div>
AMIP News (Info@afroimagetv.org)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10256754630649188311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865706299215641204.post-77598439173074521942020-04-16T21:15:00.004-04:002020-04-16T21:15:51.738-04:00The U.S. Announces Funding for the Academy for Women Entrepreneurs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjp0XcxffvMaN1vk2pCzPXPbrFNH5J8rAp4FL83H9KnysJEf-hEChFpbCPsbQ6xKP_3-aSTxJMtnfTBezzK80eHGlL18_m_IQNe4N2D9mgijC-01PlyBn4COKKdenxkjlwM-Nrw2ry9NbU/s1600/Academy+for+Women+Entrepreneurs.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="750" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjp0XcxffvMaN1vk2pCzPXPbrFNH5J8rAp4FL83H9KnysJEf-hEChFpbCPsbQ6xKP_3-aSTxJMtnfTBezzK80eHGlL18_m_IQNe4N2D9mgijC-01PlyBn4COKKdenxkjlwM-Nrw2ry9NbU/s400/Academy+for+Women+Entrepreneurs.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<h3>
<strong><h4 class="featured-content__headline stars-above">
White House, State Department, and U.S. African Development Foundation Announce Funding for the Academy for Women Entrepreneurs</h4>
</strong></h3>
<strong>
</strong>
<div class="article-meta">
<strong>
<div class="article-meta doctype-meta">
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Media Note</span></div>
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><div class="article-meta__author-bureau">
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Office of the Spokesperson</span></div>
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><span style="font-weight: normal;">Department of State</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><span style="font-weight: normal;">Washington, DC</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><div class="article-meta__publish-date">
<br /></div>
<div class="article-meta__publish-date">
<span style="font-weight: normal;">February 20, 2020</span></div>
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span></strong></div>
<strong><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><div class="entry-content">
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">Today, Advisor to the President Ivanka Trump announced a new
partnership in support of the White House-led Women’s Global Development
and Prosperity Initiative (W-GDP). The partnership between the U.S.
Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA)
and the U.S. African Development Foundation (USADF) will expand the
Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE).</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">AWE was created in 2019 and launched in 26 countries around the world
to support W-GDP, which aims to economically empower 50 million women
in the developing world by 2025.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">“W-GDP is the first ever whole-of-government approach to women’s
economic empowerment, developed intentionally to inspire collaboration
on best programs and partnerships,” said Advisor to the President Ivanka
Trump. “I am proud to see the State Department and U.S. Africa
Development Foundation partner together to expand the Academy for Women
Entrepreneurs (AWE) in support of W-GDP. W-GDP is focused on scaling
programs that will have maximum impact for women and communities around
the world.”</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">In 2020, to help achieve W-GDP’s goals, ECA is expanding AWE
globally, doubling the number of countries to reach more women, and
partnering with USADF in Africa on this important effort.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><span style="font-weight: normal;">This new U.S. government interagency partnership will provide select
AWE graduates in Africa with seed funding to start and scale their
enterprises. Beginning this year, through 2025, USADF will provide up
to $10 million in grants to the most promising African AWE graduates.
In 2020, funding will be awarded to AWE graduates from the following
countries: Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa,
Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">USADF believes Africa’s growth and prosperity will be driven by
women. In 2019, women social entrepreneurs and women-led enterprises
constituted approximately 66% of USADF’s total investees. USADF is
partnering with the State Department on AWE to promote African women’s
entrepreneurship and increase their access to capital, markets,
technical assistance, and mentorship.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">AWE supports Pillar 2 of W-GDP by providing women with the knowledge,
skills, and networks needed to create sustainable businesses and
enterprises. Through an inclusive learning community and mentoring
opportunities, women from around the world will explore the fundamentals
of business, including creating business plans and raising capital,
with the goal of building a better future for their families and
communities across Africa and around the world.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;">For more information on AWE, visit: <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDAsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMDAyMjAuMTc1MjMyMjEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL2VjYS5zdGF0ZS5nb3YvYXdlIn0.mlYaHjc6AAA7QeOg0d7FrohVP1PDf7QllghjBW-xM5c/br/75238896506-l&source=gmail&ust=1582319053614000&usg=AFQjCNHuRkVfBsPU8AUzug5KuByq_tCn0g" href="https://eca.state.gov/awe" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">eca.state.gov/awe</a>. For more information on W-GDP, visit: <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDEsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMDAyMjAuMTc1MjMyMjEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwOi8vd3d3LndnZHAuZ292LyJ9.AUWA-LPJ8zScecNnRw_5zHOy8IG3pi_0N65JQ8X8_5U/br/75238896506-l&source=gmail&ust=1582319053614000&usg=AFQjCNHJcadirznswRqk1tjJAFhjO8peqw" href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/wgdp/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.wgdp.gov/</a>. </span><br />
</div>
</strong>AMIP News (Info@afroimagetv.org)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10256754630649188311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865706299215641204.post-37898098362943899182020-04-16T21:13:00.001-04:002020-04-16T21:13:19.345-04:00President Trump Selects New Leadership for Prosper Africa<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8eC9NRCjxgELSHG9wrK5CKBVFzK1vWu_pa4-UXQotxcgO0LFRAlaMAC4_aoqLHvGUOIvLi6YGBoKo-eod5fgH732cYiSgSuu5FwMK3VDKNvkXuFlR5wG_po0Yajlj8sq1kHqBX28Kt7sc/s1600/Prosper+Africa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="474" data-original-width="900" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8eC9NRCjxgELSHG9wrK5CKBVFzK1vWu_pa4-UXQotxcgO0LFRAlaMAC4_aoqLHvGUOIvLi6YGBoKo-eod5fgH732cYiSgSuu5FwMK3VDKNvkXuFlR5wG_po0Yajlj8sq1kHqBX28Kt7sc/s400/Prosper+Africa.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
Office of the Press Secretary<br />
The White House<br />
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<br />
<br />
February 20, 2020<br />
<br />
Today, President Donald J. Trump announced that Adam Boehler will be
Executive Chairman of the Prosper Africa initiative. Victoria Whitney
will be the Chief Operating Officer for the initiative. Mr. Boehler
will fulfill this role while continuing to serve as Chief Executive
Officer of the United States International Development Finance
Corporation. Ms. Whitney most recently served as Senior Director for
Strategy and Communications at the United States Agency for
International Development.<br /><br />Prosper Africa is a
whole-of-government initiative to increase trade and investment between
the United States and African nations. This Administration is committed
to accelerating United States-African cooperation on free, fair, and
reciprocal trade and investment, which will benefit Americans and people
all across the African continent.<br />
<br />
###<br />
<br />
For more information about Prosper Africa click <a href="https://www.trade.gov/prosper-africa">here </a><br />
AMIP News (Info@afroimagetv.org)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10256754630649188311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865706299215641204.post-57308144168754850702020-04-13T23:28:00.001-04:002020-04-13T23:31:08.688-04:00Liberating Africa’s Entrepreneurs: Secretary Pompeo's Remarks at UN Economic Commission for Africa<br />
<br />
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{page:WordSection1;}</style>AMIP News (Info@afroimagetv.org)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10256754630649188311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865706299215641204.post-81265900355491987352020-04-13T23:19:00.004-04:002020-04-13T23:19:59.824-04:00Sec. Pompeo’s Speech on Liberating Africa’s Entrepreneurs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Photo: U.S. State Department</div>
<br />
United Nations Economic Commission for Africa<br />
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia<br />
February 19, 2020<br />
<br />
<strong>SECRETARY POMPEO:</strong> Good morning everyone. Vera,
thank you. Thank you for the kind introduction. Thank you all very
much for welcoming me. Let’s see, there we go. Vera, I think we got
the lapel mike. Here we go. Good morning. Really, good morning
again. It’s great fun to be here with you all. This is very special.
I’m in a very special place. I’m happy to be here with my wife Susan
and the team that’s come along with me. I have been humbled on my
entire trip by the astounding warmth and the generosity of all the
people of Africa and especially here in Ethiopia. It’s great to be
here.<br />
<br />
I just left a amazing discussion with some really awesome
entrepreneurs and business leaders, and I hear we’ve got a few more of
you in the audience today. I’m a former entrepreneur. I love what you
do. I love risk takers. I love those people who are willing to go out
and just crush it every day.<br />
<br />
With us here today are three very special ladies. Azalech
Tesfaye is right here. She has a coffee business that employs 50 people
and exports all across the world. Her business has been able to expand
thanks to a loan from the White House’s Women’s Global Development and
Prosperity Initiative. Azalech, I’m glad you could be with us here
today. Thank you for joining us. (Applause.)<br />
Also with us is Meseret Warner. Very nice to see you. It was
wonderful to meet you this morning. She is developing a crowd funding
platform to channel capital from the United States to businesses in
Ethiopia, and throughout Africa. Don’t take all of our capital, all
right. Best of luck to you.<br />
We at the State Department are proud that Ethiopian chapter president of the Africa Women’s Entrepreneurship Program is here.<br />
<br />
And then we also have Samrawit Fikru. She’s with us as well. She
founded RIDE, Ethiopia’s version of Uber. She’s created jobs for more
than 11,000 drivers and 300 permanent employees. That’s amazing.
Congratulations. (Applause.) She’s a distinguished alumnus of one of
the State Department’s great international programs, the International
Visitor Leadership Program.<br />
<br />
Let’s give all of these amazing entrepreneurs one more big round of applause. Congratulations to you. (Applause.)<br />
<br />
Stories like this, success stories, entrepreneur stories like this
remind me of America’s founding too. These aren’t just feel good
moments. They define a nation’s future. These entrepreneurial
activities will define Africa’s future, too.<br />
<br />
We believe that in the United States. I believe that. I believe, as
I know most of you do, too, that every human being – African, European,
American, you name it – wants similar things.<br />
<br />
We want basic security for our families. We want opportunity and
reward for the hard work that we invest in. And we want the freedom to
do whatever we want to do wit h our own lives.<br />
<br />
It’s how we get there that matters an awful lot.<br />
<br />
I’m here today about – to talk to you about a couple of things. Most
importantly, I want to talk about the next liberation, economic
liberation, a true liberation for Africa’s entrepreneurs. I’ll talk
about this briefly, then I’m going to take questions from Vera.<br />
<br />
Look, for starters, I think we can<strong> </strong>all agree that the poverty rate in many African countries remains way too high.<br />
<br />
And while effective foreign aid can help to alleviate the
problem, it’s very unlikely that it will solve it. We see this in
places all across the world, even in America. Government spending often
can’t attack the very basis of the problem.<br />
<br />
Centralized planning hasn’t worked – look at the failed socialist
experiments of years past in Zimbabwe, in Tanzania, and right here in
Ethiopia. Even now, even as we stand here today, South Africa is
debating an amendment to permit the expropriation of private property
without compensation. That would be disastrous for that economy, and
most importantly for the South African people.<br />
<br />
Socialist schemes haven’t economically liberated this continent’s poorest people.<br />
<br />
But we all – everyone in this room – everyone in this room know the
right way forward. Basic strong rule of law, respect for property
rights, regulation that encourages investment – we talked about that
with these entrepreneurs this morning. You need to get the basic laws
right so that investors can come and invest their capital. We also need
women’s full participation in this economic liberation. And we need
governments that respect their own people. These are the fundamental
ingredients for true and inclusive, sustainable economic liberation.<br />
<br />
We all know the history of the Asian Tigers. The Asian Tigers lifted
themselves up in a span of just a few decades, because they liberalized
and they opened for trade.<br />
<br />
That can happen right here too – and indeed, I would argue that it
must. More than 60 percent of the population in Africa is under the age
of 25. Only nations hospitable to the private sector will stimulate
enough growth, enough opportunity, enough resources, enough capital that
will deliver jobs and prosperity on the scale that this continent needs
and over the timeframe that it requires.<br />
And to African leaders today – future generations are depending on
stable, corruption-free environments that attract foreign investment.<br />
<br />
As the Ethiopian proverb says, “A partner in business will not put an obstacle to it.”<br />
Indeed, some countries have already taken steps to enhance freedom
for entrepreneurs: Rwanda has exempted small and medium-sized
businesses from certain taxes, it slashed construction spending several
times, and it’s upgraded its power grid.<br />
<br />
Togo has knocked down similar bureaucratic hurdles on fees, wait times, permitting, and other impediments for business owners.<br />
<br />
On a broader scale, I just came from Angola, where President
Lorenco and his team are courageously turning the page on corruption and
are privatizing hundreds of state-owned businesses.<br />
<br />
And right here in Ethiopia, right here in Ethiopia citizens pushed
for change. Prime Minister Abiy’s bold reforms stimulate private sector
growth that can help set the tone for the entire continent.<br />
None of this is easy. If it was easy, it would have happened long ago. The United States recognizes this.<br />
<br />
But it’s moral, and it’s right. And it’s necessary. There is
nothing more noble than allowing our people to have the dignity of
work. And the United States, you should know, everyone – we believe in
you, and we’ll be with you every step of the way.<br />
<br />
With the right policies and leadership, we believe that true economic liberation will happen here in Africa.<br />
<br />
If you will all focus on the basics – if you’ll get it right, if
you’ll get transparency right, good governance right – American
businesses will come. We’ve been in Africa for an awfully long time.
More capital will flow.<br />
<br />
Just these last few days in Senegal, we signed an agreement where
Bechtel, America’s – one of America’s finest engineering companies, will
build a road from Dakar to St. Louis, transforming infrastructure and
creating opportunities. I was proud to be part of the signing ceremony
there in Dakar, along with the signing of four other major agreements
with American businesses that are going to invest in Senegal and in the
Senegalese people.<br />
<br />
In Angola, Chevron and others are exploring offshore natural gas
fields, bringing jobs and economic growth right along with them. When
American capital comes, it hires local.<br />
<br />
Here in Ethiopia, Coca-Cola is expanding a new $300 million
investment, and companies like FedEx and Citibank are exploring new
opportunities as well.<br />
<br />
As for the American Government, the Trump administration wants these
trade ties to continue and to expand. We’re committed to it.<br />
<br />
If there’s one thing you should know about our President, my boss,
you should know that he loves deals. He wants more to happen. He wants
more to happen between the United States and nations all across Africa.<br />
<br />
That’s why the United States launched our new Development Finance
Corporation. I’m sure I’ll get a chance to talk more about this with
Vera. It’s now just one month old, but it’s well-resourced,
well-funded, and well-structured. The goal is very simple. The goal is
to catalyze private sector investment in developing countries, focusing
heavily on priority areas like agriculture, like energy, and
infrastructure. Sixty billion dollars of capacity, $60 billion of
finance capacity, it will help here in Africa.<br />
<br />
And there’s more. The U.S. under President Trump launched Prosper
Africa – the Prosper Africa initiative, which is opening opportunities
for businesses on both sides of the ocean.<br />
<br />
We are pushing forward, too, the W-GDP program, with the goal of
economically empowering at least 50 million women by 2025. We expect
more than half of those women to be right here in Africa.<br />
<br />
USAID, one of our traditional assistance mechanisms, is integrating
the private sector into its core development work in ways that it’s
never done before.<br />
<br />
We support the African Continental Free Trade Area, and we remain committed to our partnership with the African Union.<br />
<br />
Look, not every nation doing business in Africa from outside
the continent adopts the American model of partnership. Countries
should be wary of authoritarian regimes with empty promises. They breed
corruption, dependency, they don’t hire the local people, they don’t
train, they don’t lead them. They run the risk that the prosperity and
sovereignty and progress that Africa so needs and desperately wants
won’t happen.<br />
<br />
Real simple. The United States stands for local jobs, environmental
responsibility, honest business practices, high-quality work, and mutual
prosperity.<br />
<br />
Don’t take my word for it – look at the facts, look at the history. We stand for true partnership, true economic liberation.<br />
<br />
I want to save plenty of time to have a conversation with Vera today, so I’ll close up quickly.<br />
So many of you here today I can see from all walks of like – we’ve
got entrepreneurs, political leaders, media voices, I’ve got a group of
alumni from State Department programs ‒ you, you are the forces that
will ensure that those with power who promise liberation understand what
that truly means. Hold onto that.<br />
<br />
True economic liberation delivered the greatest economic growth in
human history in the United States of America. It can do the same for
you.<br />
<br />
My country will proudly walk that path in partnership with you.<br />
<br />
I look forward to our conversation today.<br />
<br />
And may God bless all of you.<br />
<br />
May God bless Ethiopia.<br />
<br />
And God bless all of the people of Africa. Thank you. (Applause.)<br />
<br />
<b>DR SONGWE: </b> Thank you. Thank you so much for that brilliant speech. Can we give the Secretary another round of applause. (Applause.)<br />
<br />
<b>SECRETARY POMPEO:</b> Thank you.<br />
<br />
<b>DR SONGWE:</b> Thank you for saving the time for questions. We have three or four for you, so hopefully you can take them.<br />
<br />
<b>SECRETARY POMPEO:</b> Great. I’ll answer almost anything. (Laughter.)<br />
<br />
<b>DR SONGWE:</b> That’s a great (inaudible). I want to
start – you have mentioned some of it in your speech already, but this
is one of your first trips to Africa. You picked three very interesting
countries, Senegal, Angola, and Ethiopia. Why the choice of countries?<br />
<br />
<b>SECRETARY POMPEO:</b> So, yeah, I’ve been to Africa a
handful of times before. It’s the first time I’ve had the chance to be
here as the Secretary of State. The three countries I chose were all at
unique moments in their own development history, very different,
different cultures, different parts of Africa, different histories. But
in each case, too, with real leaders who are prepared to do the right
things to help their countries move forward. And when I say “real
leaders,” that certainly includes political leaders, but it’s broader
and deeper than that. It’s the wellspring of the population who’s
demanding these changes, these transformations. Whether that’s in
Senegal or Angola or here, I can see it, I can feel it, I can hear it.<br />
<br />
Leaders in the business community, leaders in the entrepreneurship
world, finance leaders, nongovernmental organizations who understand
that the things that have been done in these countries in the past
didn’t deliver the outcomes that these people so richly deserve and are
determined to push back where there were problems with corruption, are
determined to deliver these outcomes, and are prepared to take real risk
to get these fantastic outcomes for their own people.<br />
<br />
And so that’s why we went to each of these three places.
It’s been fascinating to see and get to meet and get a glimpse into
what’s really going on there. And I leave here even more optimistic
than I came.<br />
<br />
<b>DR SONGWE:</b> Wonderful. We can feel the energy as
you answer the question. My second question is linked a little bit to
the U.S. announcement that it will be reducing military aid on the
continent, and I think it’s linked to the fact that you’re also
increasing economic aid.<br />
<br />
But on the military side, you went to West Point. West Point, I
think for those in the military field, is the Harvard of the academics.<br />
<br />
<b>SECRETARY POMPEO:</b> I’ll tell the team back there that you said that. They’ll be very proud of that.<br />
<br />
<b>DR SONGWE:</b> Free publicity for West Point.<br />
<br />
<b>SECRETARY POMPEO: </b> Exactly.<br />
<br />
<b>DR SONGWE:</b> But I think on the continent we do need
peace to have development. We do need peace for security. And so the
question is: Is it possible that we have the U.S. work with Africa to
build a West Point on the continent so that we can do exactly what you
have done, is bring more technology, the transfer the knowledge, but
have the peace builders here with American support. Is this something
that we’ll someday we have a West Point of Africa with U.S. support?<br />
<br />
<b>SECRETARY POMPEO: </b> I don’t know if that’s exactly
the right model here, but your point is very, very well taken. Two
things to say. One. We are, we’re constantly – the United States has
military all across the world. We are constantly reviewing our
structure. Are we delivering value? Are we really increasing
security? Is the model we had for the last 10 or 20 or 30 years
working? And so we’re looking at that. We’re looking at Africa. We’re
looking at other places in the world as well. We’ll complete the
review. We’ll work it out. There won’t be big surprises.<br />
<br />
We will work along – I’ll say this: I appreciate, as someone who was
the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, I understand the risks
and the (inaudible) what goes in Libya. I know what’s happening in the
Lake Chad region, and I see the challenges from al-Shabaab in Somalia,
and (inaudible) in Ethiopia. We’ll be (inaudible) to provide what – the
support that is needed.<br />
<br />
Your point is very well taken, too. Whether it’s a West Point or
training at our institutions in the United States, or training at other
western militaries to make sure that that technology – and importantly
with security, leadership and intelligence sharing are really the
bedrocks of our capacity to deliver.<br />
<br />
I said this in my remarks yesterday or the day before. In the end,
African security will be generated by Africans. We have the
responsibility and we have the capacity to help African nations to do
that, to build up their own forces, to build up their own capacity.
Your point’s very well taken. If we can’t get security right, these
economic opportunities will be much more difficult to come by.<br />
<br />
<b>DR SONGWE:</b> Thank you, Secretary. I see that you’re
continuously thinking about the idea, so we will come back to that. It
is an important point for us on the continent.<br />
<br />
Moving to that, you talked a little bit and with a lot of passion,
you have yourself started two businesses, so you know exactly –<br />
<br />
<b>SECRETARY POMPEO:</b> I started three, but I don’t talk about the one that failed. (Laughter.)<br />
<br />
<b>DR SONGWE: </b> (Inaudible) says we should talk about
that one, too. So you know better than most what it means to start a
business, what it means to live and do business in a liberated economic
environment. As you look at the continent, we just had PIMCO here last
week at the Economic Commission for Africa trying exactly to crowd in
U.S. business more into – onto the continent. What are the two or three
things, first as a businessman and then as a policy maker, that you
think American business will be looking for so that we can crowd them
in? Of course, the buildout is going to be particularly important
because it will help leverage that business, but we do need real capital
coming in.<br />
<br />
And what do you think when you go you can say to U.S. businesses
about Africa, and what can you say to our leaders about what U.S.
business is looking for in Africa?<br />
<br />
<b>SECRETARY POMPEO: </b> Yeah. Look, I think you all know
this. There’s a handful of things that American businesses want. They
want to know that their investment, if it fails it’s because they had a
bad business model, not because of political risk that’s attached to
it. They want to know that there’s a rule of law and the capacity for
dispute resolution in a way that’s fair and equitable. Equally
importantly for American business especially, we need educated, talented
workforce.<br />
<br />
When these American businesses come, they want to hire the best and
brightest, from Senegal, from Angola, from Ethiopia. From whatever
they’re investing, they want to hire the best and the brightest. They
need a workforce trained, skilled. The people that I’ve met on my trip,
I am very confident you all will get there. It’s got to be scaled up,
right. We’ve got tens and tens of millions of jobs to create, and we
need to make sure that the workforce has the skillset that matches what
these American companies will want.<br />
<br />
And then the third thing, and I say this often, you should all know,
when American businesses are thinking about coming to someplace, they’ll
call the State Department and say tell me about it, tell me about
what’s going to – what I’m going to see when I get there. The most
important thing that they’ll do is they’ll call their buddies.<br />
<br />
Look, all they’ll call is they’ll call those who came to that place
before and say, “What was your experience like? What were the people
like? How was it?” And so it is very important for African countries
to be responsive to and nurture those businesses that are already here
so that there are models for success, there are pathways that can be
chartered. It will take down that risk enormously. <br />
<br />
And so not only
will you see capital, we talk about capital coming, but you’ll see
capital that is affordable, that is the cost of capital. Whether it’s a
bond fund or a leveraged financial institution or angel investor or a
private equity fund, the rate of return that they’ll demand turns on the
risk that they perceive. And so demonstrating a capability to create
opportunity, not certainly, not guarantees – American companies are
perfectly prepared to take risk. But know that they’ll be able to
identify those risks, measure them, and that they won’t have surprises
from political outcomes that they simply can’t deal with and control.<br />
<br />
<b>DR SONGWE:</b> Thank you very much. And the risk
adjusted rate of return on the continent is 8 percent. In the U.S. now
it’s 1 percent. So this is the —<br />
<br />
<b>SECRETARY POMPEO: </b> It’s much less than that, yes, exactly.<br />
<br />
<b>DR SONGWE:</b> Exactly. So we hope that they can come, and we hope that you will be one of those ambassadors.<br />
<br />
I want to ask a question on something that you worked in a few years
back. You were not yet Secretary of State. That was on information,
financial transparency. One of the things that the continent is
suffering from, and a lot of our investments on the continent would
still be public investment and public capital, however, because of
illicit financial flows and corruption, we tend to see a lot of our
resources going out of the continent.<br />
<br />
In 2016 or thereabouts, you actually talked about creating a more
sort of financial transparency index so that we could track the
resources. You have gone to three countries that they’re working very
hard on trying to ensure that they can forestall corruption and track
resources. What do you say, and how can the U.S. with your experience
help us to improve this fight on illicit financial flows? We do need to
stem it at some point.<br />
<br />
<b>SECRETARY POMPEO:</b> This is, too, I potentially
should have mentioned, but it’s really not something that businesses
think about. It’s about institutions, governments, places like this
that you all work so diligently on. It’s a thing that America thinks
about a lot. We want to make sure that we understand where cash is
going. This is a significant economic factor, but it’s also a massive
security factor, too, because these go to drugs and trade – drug trading
and narcotrafficking and trafficking in persons – some of the most
horrific things that happen in our world. If we can find where the
money is going, we can stem it and reduce that risk.<br />
<br />
So the United States is committed to the international processes that
are connected. As you see with the Financial Action Task Force, you
see how our global institutions – the IMF and the World Bank – always
put at the center of their programs transparency and accountability not
only for the host nation that they’re supporting, but they want it in
the private sector, the commercial sector that they’re working in as
well.<br />
<br />
I think the world has made progress. I, frankly, think Africa has
made progress as well. The leaders that I spoke with in every country
all took on board the desperate they need they had to control that
illicit financing. They see it. They see that it escapes their
capacity to control. They know that it’s bad for their people, that it
deteriorates from their tax base to generate even further opportunity
for their people. Each of those negative ramifications are serious
matters.<br />
<br />
We’re committed to – that we will – we will come to countries when we
provide foreign assistance, and we’ll often come with technical help.
In addition to the resources, the money, we’ll embed members of our team
in financial institutions or in central banks or in other governing
agencies, law enforcement, the equivalent of our Justice Department who
work on these illicit cashflows or finance ministries. We’ll put our
people, our technical knowhow. These are complicated issues. They are
international issues. They extend far beyond the borders of any one
country. We collectively have to get it right.<br />
<br />
I spent a lot of time when I was the CIA director working on the
information side of that to make sure that the data set was available. I
haven’t spent as much time working on the regulatory piece of it, but I
know the United States is committed to that, and it’s important to get
right here I Africa.<br />
<br />
<b>DR SONGWE: </b> The African Union and all of the African
heads of states believe that without this sort of attacking this kind
of corruption and illicit financial flows, we will never be able to meet
the taking of action, which is the scale. But the taking of action
must happen with women. You started your conversation recognizing, I
think, very brilliant Ethiopian businesswomen. So it’s women and it’s
business, and I’m sure that we all agree that we cannot move this
continent forward without the women.<br />
<br />
The U.S. has been very forward looking in terms of supporting women
business and women entrepreneurs. What is the message to Africa’s women
as you leave? And you see last week we just launched the African
Women’s Leadership Fund, which is a fund, not a – sort of supporting
women business with the idea of supporting and hopefully getting a lot
more billions to women businesses. And we know that the U.S. is working
on that, and you have been yourself a passionate (inaudible).<br />
<br />
<b>SECRETARY POMPEO:</b> Yeah, no, I do. I care about it
for multiple reasons. My wife is sitting to my right, who was a banker
who helped provide capital to people in South Central Kansas, rural
parts of Kansas. So we know the challenges that women often face.<br />
<br />
We’re committed to this. We’re committed to all across the world
empowering women in multiple ways. So we first begin with getting the
baseline right to make sure that there aren’t legal prohibitions, right,
there aren’t barriers, legal barriers that prevent women. Some
countries still have those.<br />
<br />
And then we go attack the history, because women didn’t – don’t start
from the same basis oftentimes. There are cultural barriers in many
countries, and then there’s just the simple fact that women have
historically taken on a lot of roles where they didn’t participate in
the economic lives of their nations.<br />
<br />
And so across each of those various pillars we’re working hard to
make sure that women like these have every opportunity they can. Some
of them are going to fail. And many, many of them will keep at it and
they will ultimately succeed. They will drive enormous success for
themselves, for their families, for their community, and for their
country.<br />
<br />
If we don’t get this part right, if we don’t give a hundred percent
of the people in every country this chance to go live their dream and
use their minds for the betterment of their community, for their
country, we will leave enormous amount of the opportunity on the table.<br />
<br />
So it’s something that the United States is very focused on. We’ll
try and drive it programmatically. We’ll try and drive it through our
commercial programs as well. Collectively, if we can get this right, we
will take growth from wherever it would have been absent, then to
multiples of that.<br />
<br />
<b>DR SONGWE:</b> Thank you very much. We also know that
Madam Pompeo is a strong and avid supporter of women and men in politics
because you’re here with us. So we hope that she can also support
those women in politics agenda.<br />
<br />
Final question. This is your last stop before you leave the
continent. Tomorrow, the G20 ministers of finance and governors will be
meeting to talk about the state of the world. What is the message from
Africa that you will send to them?<br />
<br />
<b>SECRETARY POMPEO: </b> There is enormous opportunity not
only for Africa here, but for the world. It is a continent that is
growing. It is a continent that has been behind the power curve in its
capacity to achieve all of its opportunity, not only the economic
opportunity that we have spoken to, opportunities for religious freedom,
opportunities for all of the things that humanity cares so deeply
about.<br />
<br />
I would urge them to recommit to this. It will have massive economic
benefits to places like the United States of America. If we get this
right, the young women that I was with this morning were all exporting
to our country.<br />
<br />
What does that mean? That means that someone in America decided that
there was a value proposition to purchase that product that was made
right here in Ethiopia. The seller benefitted here in Ethiopia, and
that American consumer benefitted as well. That trade, that commerce,
that opportunity will benefit our entire world.<br />
<br />
We need to get it right here as well. And when we do, that it’s
mutually reinforcing, too. Economic growth and security are mutually
reinforcing. If we get the economic piece of this right, the fewer
folks that decide that they want to go create unrest, cause trouble,
create problems for nations. So we’ve got to get them both right.<br />
<br />
I hope those ministers will all take seriously what I saw on my three visits here in Africa.<br />
<br />
<b>DR SONGWE:</b> Wonderful. Thank you very much. Recommit to Africa. There is value here is the message from Secretary Pompeo –<br />
<br />
<b>SECRETARY POMPEO:</b> Amen.<br />
<br />
<b>DR SONGWE:</b> — to Africa and to the rest of the world. Thank you so much for being with us. And thanks for the proposition.<br />
<br />
<b>SECRETARY POMPEO:</b> Vera, thank you. Thank you all. (Applause.)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
AMIP News (Info@afroimagetv.org)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10256754630649188311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865706299215641204.post-85045867826097389772020-04-13T23:10:00.000-04:002020-04-13T23:10:07.236-04:00Ethiopian Foreign Min. and Sec. Pompeo Hold Press Conference<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIMoGTGVDJLuZtZgO8R9ULQ1w3q930snlLPe7FH0Flwvf5YH5pghDagHfn37jMb2gJjWn1KmUVyZZ9ud9_mIATqG-FQcs2I6CdK-3SrvS67-Yjja6VtYmGW1YdPXsP8toufxxQ4ELqzD3C/s1600/Pompeo+Andargachew+Feb+2020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIMoGTGVDJLuZtZgO8R9ULQ1w3q930snlLPe7FH0Flwvf5YH5pghDagHfn37jMb2gJjWn1KmUVyZZ9ud9_mIATqG-FQcs2I6CdK-3SrvS67-Yjja6VtYmGW1YdPXsP8toufxxQ4ELqzD3C/s400/Pompeo+Andargachew+Feb+2020.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Photo: U.S. State Department<br />
Sheraton Hotel<br />
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia<br />
<br />
February 18, 2020<br />
<br />
<strong>MODERATOR:</strong> Good afternoon. Welcome to the joint
press briefing of His Excellency Ato Gedu Andargachew, Foreign Minister
of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, and His Excellency U.S.
Secretary of State Michael Pompeo. The press briefing will go as
follows: First, the two principals will give a brief statement – first
His Excellency Ato Gedu Andargachew, and next His Excellency Michael
Pompeo. Following their statements, we’ll take two questions from the
members of the media.<br />
<br />
For the first question we have here Ms. Morgan Ortagus, spokeswoman –
spokesperson of the State Department. She will call out for the
visiting media. The next question I’ll give the opportunity to the
resident media. Thank you.<br />
<br />
Your Excellency.<br />
<br />
<strong>FOREIGN MINISTER GEDU:</strong> Welcome again, Your
Excellency Michael Pompeo, Secretary of State of the United States of
America. It is a great pleasure for us to be here with you. Welcome,
Excellency.<br />
<br />
<strong>SECRETARY POMPEO:</strong> Thank you.<br />
<br />
<strong>FOREIGN MINISTER GEDU:</strong> Ethiopia and United States
enjoy more than a century diplomatic relation. United States remains
one of the strongest allies of Ethiopia. Both countries enjoy a strong
political, economic, and security cooperation.<br />
<br />
Ethiopia attach great importance to its cooperation with the United
States as undergoes a broad reform program. Exchanges of visits like
tonight between dignitaries of the two friendly countries have always
helped to further vet the strong relations between our two countries.
Secretary of State Michael Pompeo’s visit focused on strengthen that
ongoing political and economic bilateral relations of the two
countries. This gives us the opportunity to discuss regional,
continental, and global issues which is mutual concern.<br />
<br />
The Secretary of State have discussed with President of the
Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia Her Excellency Sahle-Work Zewde
and the Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
His Excellency Dr. Abiy Ahmed on a range of bilateral and multilateral
issues. The discussions were both cordial and (inaudible) understand.
<br />
<br />
In my discussion with His Excellency Secretary of State Mike Pompeo,
we have agreed to work closely not only at bilateral level, but also in
multilateral issues of mutual concern. The United States has reaffirmed
its continued support to the ongoing Ethiopian political and economic
reforms, promotion of peace and security, promotion of trade and
investment, economic development cooperation, and some of the areas that
we both came to an understanding to further deepen our bond.<br />
<br />
I would like to underscore here that there is a strong political will
that exists on both sides to strengthen the Ethiopia-U.S. relations for
the mutual shared benefits of the people of the two countries. I thank
you.<br />
<br />
<b>SECRETARY POMPEO:</b> Thank you, Foreign Minister
Gedu. It’s a pleasure to be with you here today. My wife Susan and my
entire team are thrilled to be in this very special place. It’s a<br />
remarkable country; it’s ancient, and we got a chance to finally taste
that great coffee right here. <br />
<br />
(Laughter.)<br />
<br />
Today, Foreign Minister Gedu and I discussed the warm feelings,
common values, and mutual respect that our countries have for one
another. We talked about our strong partnership, our histories
together, and how we will both take it forward for the benefit for both
of our peoples.<br />
<br />
Ethiopia is America’s long and warm relationship with the country.
It’s our second-oldest diplomatic relationship in Africa. In the 1930s
and ’40s, the United States staunchly backed Ethiopian sovereignty when
it was under threat. We were one of the few countries to do so then.
Today, Washington, D.C. is home to the largest Ethiopian diaspora
community outside of Africa, and we love them.<br />
<br />
Our relationship provides a strong foundation for our cooperation on
matters of security. The Horn of Africa is a pretty dangerous
neighborhood. We recommitted this afternoon to our shared fight against
al-Shabaab and other Islamist terror.<br />
<br />
I also want to commend the Ethiopian people on their bravery and
thank them for their sacrifices as members of UN and African Union
peacekeeping missions in Somalia and elsewhere. The AU’s increasing
security work makes it a more effective multilateral organization.
Peace in Africa will be won by Africans. I discussed that effort today
with the AUC Chairperson Faki.<br />
<br />
Investments in security provide the stability that allow
Ethiopian citizens and citizens of other nations to flourish. At the
same time, Prime Minister Abiy’s reforms are driving growth and
encouraging American business to expand right here in Ethiopia.
Ethiopia’s business-friendly climate has made it a welcome place for
American companies like Coca-Cola and PVH, the makers of iconic brands
like Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger – they’re all expanding here.
Today, more American businesses are looking to get in, and investors are
interested in everything.<br />
<br />
America’s value as a partner goes beyond the quality of what we
make. Partnership defines our very engagement. We invest in people and
prioritize global health and economic empowerment. Our investments
uphold transparency and sovereignty. Our companies, too, employ local
people, Ethiopians. Our track record of being a force for good when we
invest economically is unchallenged.<br />
<br />
Today, too, I am pleased to announce the United States is providing
$8 million in additional funding to support regional locust control
operations in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia.<br />
<br />
Look, we’re also a force for good economically in Ethiopia through
President Trump’s W-GDP Initiative. I’m eager to meet some very
creative and hardworking business leaders tomorrow morning. Their
embrace of free enterprise points the way forward for Africa’s economic
success.<br />
<br />
Of course, too, prosperity depends on strong institutions and the
rule of law. The Abiy administration believes in accountable, inclusive
democracy. So does America. We talked about the upcoming Ethiopian
election as well, a free and credible vote. We’ll show there is no
false choice between democracy and security, and that we’ll ensure that
everyone has a voice. Democracy is especially important in places as
diverse as Ethiopia.<br />
<br />
On the issue of religious freedom, something very close to my heart,
Christianity, Islam, and Judaism all have ancient histories here.
Joining the meeting, we had a religious council earlier today, and
emphasizing the importance of religious freedom was a profound
experience that I will not forget.<br />
Thank you again, Foreign Minister, for hosting me here today. I look
forward to many more years of friendship with one of America’s oldest,
staunchest partners right here in Africa. Thank you, Mr. Minister.<br />
<br />
<b>MS ORTAGUS:</b> We’ll start with Cindy Spang from Voice of America.<br />
<br />
<b>QUESTION: </b> Thank you very much. Mr. Foreign
Minister, you are two years into a very ambitious reform agenda here.
What are you proudest of and what is the area where you think that there
is the biggest challenge for your citizens? And Mr. Secretary, I would
also like your perspective on that.<br />
<br />
And on the coronavirus, is the U.S. going to push for a
change in guidelines for quarantines for cruise ships? And are you
satisfied with the way that the Chinese Government is giving information
to its own citizens?<br />
<br />
And on Iran, can you confirm that a group of Democratic senators met
with the Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif on the sidelines of the Munich
Security Conference? And if so, are you concerned about the meeting?
Thank you.<br />
<br />
<b>SECRETARY POMPEO:</b> No, you go ahead.<br />
<br />
<b>FOREIGN MINISTER GEDU: </b> Let’s start with you.<br />
<br />
<b>SECRETARY POMPEO: </b> No, no. You go ahead.
(Laughter.) You answer on the reforms, and then I’ll take it. Go
ahead. (Laughter.) Okay, go. No, go ahead. You go ahead. After
you. No, host first.<br />
<br />
<b>FOREIGN MINISTER GEDU:</b> Thank you so
much. (Inaudible) the most important agendas are political, economic,
and security issues. Ethiopia is one of the largest population country
in Africa. Our reform agenda is main focus forward to transform
Ethiopia to democracy. Then we have no experience for democracy. So
the challenge now we’re facing is the exercise of democracy, because
this government opened political space. Now in Ethiopia, all concerned
voters, all political actors, the media people – all are free. All
parties previously they were brought (inaudible) coming and they’re
playing the role.<br />
<br />
In this situation, there is a fraction that challenges our rule of
law. That is one area of challenge. Another important reform agenda is
on economy. Ethiopian economy is growing faster in the last 15 years,
continuously, nearly double-digit growth. However, there is a problem
(inaudible) to the economy. Number one, unemployment is huge in
Ethiopia. About 60 to 70 percent of Ethiopian population is youth. And
every – Ethiopia has 100,000 or so graduates from universities and high
schools. To avail your opportunity for those – these youths is
difficult, one of the challenge for our reform agenda.<br />
<br />
The other important challenges relate to security that is come from
the democratization process as well as the unemployment
problem. Because most of our youths has – have no job, so there is
demand for job, the supply side is limited. This situation there is the
situation to maintain peace and order in this country while
struggling. Now, it is improved from time to time. There is promising
improvement, but still it is the main challenge.<br />
<br />
<b>SECRETARY POMPEO:</b> So you asked me to follow up on
that same question. I think the most impressive thing about these
reforms is that they’re owned by the Ethiopian people. These aren’t
reforms that were imposed from someone from the outside. These were
reforms that came from Ethiopians demanding that their government fix
these things, and they’re working diligently on them. These are
remarkable changes. These will be transformative for Ethiopia. They
do, in fact, take time and results are never immediate when these kinds
of big changes take place. But the great thing is they’re being powered
by the Ethiopian people.<br />
<br />
I met with the female head of state in the capital of Africa today,
this incredibly diverse place. They understand the power that women
will bring to the success of these reforms. I met with religious
leaders. This is a diverse nation that’s putting in place reforms that
will redound to the benefit of the Ethiopian people for an awfully long
time. Our role in this isn’t to impose it, but rather, to do everything
we can to support it, to enable it, to provide technical assistance
where we can, and to provide moral encouragement, because we know that
these reforms are important, and if they are successful, will
fundamentally transform the lives of Ethiopians for decades and decades
to come.<br />
<br />
You then asked a question, a couple parts, about coronavirus. Look,
we’re always trying to make sure we get decisions right. With respect
to these cruise ships, there are complicated decision-making processes.
So I don’t know that we’re going to look to change our guidelines
necessarily, but we will evaluate these closely. I’ve been tracking
this and monitoring it even during my travels to make sure that we try
to get it right every time, to not only protect the American people but
to do all that we can as a country to help everyone in the world.<br />
<br />
I was with our CDC folks in our embassy today. The work that
we’re doing right here in Africa is important. I heard just as I came
in that there are now more reported cases here in Africa. We need to
make sure that we’ve got that right and we’re doing everything we can to
make sure that every place there’s risk – in countries where there
isn’t a deep, strong healthcare or public health infrastructure – the
United States is providing important assistance. We’ve got plans to put
in place at least $100 million worth of support to countries all around
the world, including to China. We’re proud of that.<br />
<br />
We hope that the world will unite against what is this really
challenging public health problem that faces us. We hope that every
country that has information – this includes China – will be completely
open and transparent. It took us too long to get the medical experts
into country. We wish that could have happened more quickly. But we
are hopeful that the Chinese Government will increase its transparency,
will continue to share this information. This is now a problem that is
of global scale, and it’s important that every nation state act in a way
that is consistent with reducing risk to citizens all across the world.<br />
<br />
Your final question was about the reporting – I’d seen that piece
about some senators meeting with Foreign Minister Zarif. This guy’s
designated by the United States of America. He’s the foreign minister
for a country that shot down a commercial airliner and has yet to turn
over the black boxes.<br />
This is the foreign minister of a country that
killed an American on December 27th, and is the foreign minister for a
country that is the world’s largest state sponsor of terror and the
world’s largest sponsor of anti-Semitism. If they met, I don’t know
what they said. I hope they were reinforcing America’s foreign policy,
not their own. Thank you.<br />
<br />
<b>MODERATOR: </b> Thank you. The second question goes to Asmamaw, EBC.<br />
<br />
<b>QUESTION: </b> Thank you, Secretary Mike Pompeo, and Mr.
Gedu, the foreign minister of Ethiopia. I’m Asmamaw from Ethiopian
Broadcasting Corporation. My first question is – goes to Secretary Mike
Pompeo. It’s known that Ethiopia, Egypt, and Sudan has been
negotiating on Great Ethiopian Renaissance Dam with support of American
Government and the World Bank. How will this hurt us? (Inaudible)
including you, the Americans, stands to develop Egypt and putting
pressure on Sudan and Ethiopia. Due to this, Ethiopian peoples are
becoming, at least at this particular event, distressed of the American
stand. What do you say for the people, Secretary Mike Pompeo?<br />
<br />
The second question is the current election and the joint engagement
of Ethiopia and the United States on the peace and security issue with
Ethiopians. (Inaudible) start to be strong according to the reports.
So the elections, they are still believed to be (inaudible). So how
(inaudible)? And has – the progress in the next time? For Mr. Gedu,
could you tell us about that this is a point of discussion with
Secretary Mike Pompeo regarding Egypt and Great Renaissance Dam? Thank
you.<br />
<br />
<b>SECRETARY POMPEO:</b> So let me take the question about
the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. President Trump made a priority
to try and work with each of the three significantly impacted countries
to try and get a good outcome for all three countries, to effectively
mediate. And so we’ve been working on this. It’s been led by Secretary
Mnuchin and by David Malpass at the World Bank. Foreign ministers met
in Washington a couple times, working on the problem set. Many of the
elements of an agreement are now moving closer to finality, but there’s
still work that remains.<br />
<br />
Our objective, the United States objective, and I think the objective
of Ethiopia’s leadership, Egypt’s leadership, and the Sudanese
leadership is to come to an accommodation that works for each of the
three countries, to the peoples of each of those three nations, fairly.
I think there’s a solution to that that will work, but our mission set
is not to impose a solution on this, but rather to get the three
countries to come together around a solution that each of them
acknowledges works for the concerns of all three nations. We have been
heartened in the context of those conversations to watch each of those
countries recognize the needs and concerns of the other two countries.
It’s been a very professional discussion. A great deal of work remains,
but I am optimistic that over the coming months we can resolve this.<br />
<br />
And I’m sorry, I didn’t pick up your second question, sir.<br />
<br />
<b>QUESTION:</b> It’s about the cooperation of the three countries regarding peace and security with (inaudible).<br />
<br />
<b>SECRETARY POMPEO:</b> Yeah, so as for peace and
security around the Horn of Africa, the United States has played a
significant role for quite a few years. When I was the CIA director, I
was – I traveled to that region on more than one occasion to make sure
that we were sharing information in a way that was delivering security
for all of the countries in the region – Ethiopia, Somalia, Djibouti,
everyone who had risk associated with that. We’re going to continue
that mission.<br />
<br />
You may be referring to the review that we’re doing in terms of how
our forces will be positioned. That review is underway. We’re going to
continue to take a look at it. We’re – we’ll make sure that we get it
right. If we’ve got forces in the wrong place or we have the wrong
forces, we’re going to fix that. We’ll do it in conjunction with our
friends and partners in the region. I’m confident that we can get the
right force posture, the right risk for the United States, and still
deliver on peace and security in a way that is important for the region,
not only in the Horn of Africa but all across the Sahel and the rest of
Africa as well.<br />
<br />
<b>FOREIGN MINISTER GEDU:</b> Regarding the issue of Grand
Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, (inaudible). I would like to express
Ethiopia’s appreciation to United States and the World Bank for positive
role playing in the negotiations, as – we have negotiate – we have been
negotiating with Egypt and Sudan. So far, we have made progress on
many issues, but there are still remaining outstanding issues that needs
negotiation. And Ethiopia hopes to reach agreement. That’s the goal
in the negotiation.<br />
<br />
That negotiation based upon the principles and the national interest
of Ethiopia, and we have only – the choice is to reach agreement based
on win-win solution. Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt are friendly country.
We have the same outcome. The solution to reach agreement is everyone
should understand the interests of other so that the agreement will be
win-win. So we are continue the negotiation in this spirit. Hopefully,
we’ll reach agreement. We discuss with His Excellency on this issue,
and he explained well. Thank you so much.<br />
<br />
<b>SECRETARY POMPEO:</b> Thank you<br />
<br />
<b>MODERATOR:</b> Thank you, excellencies. This brings us to the end of our briefing program. Thank you all.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
AMIP News (Info@afroimagetv.org)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10256754630649188311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865706299215641204.post-20494257354556701572020-04-13T23:03:00.000-04:002020-04-13T23:03:05.536-04:00African Union Commission Chairperson Faki Meets Sec. Pompeo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQvWg8u_grVlUwbfracxmtEtuXabjtqZMILiGNoGbSSp_aW9XP7Wfp8lPjDCgl_6ds4nMqNRhpGqAmNfJ-M9uYrQvqoIfdfnA46ciKz-RC58uh6UsU3cT-FVXJeStmqcSTUh2-x6qUG3Gx/s1600/Pompeo+Faki+Feb+2020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQvWg8u_grVlUwbfracxmtEtuXabjtqZMILiGNoGbSSp_aW9XP7Wfp8lPjDCgl_6ds4nMqNRhpGqAmNfJ-M9uYrQvqoIfdfnA46ciKz-RC58uh6UsU3cT-FVXJeStmqcSTUh2-x6qUG3Gx/s400/Pompeo+Faki+Feb+2020.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Photo: U.S. State Department</div>
<br />
Office of the Spokesperson<br />
Department of State<br />
Washington, DC<br />
<br />
February 18, 2020<br />
<br />
Secretary Michael R. Pompeo met today with African Union (AU)
Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Secretary Pompeo and Chairperson Faki discussed ongoing efforts to
address the security crisis in the Sahel and to support the UN in Libya,
as well as the importance of AU leadership to ensure security
coordination among regional partners in Somalia. The Secretary and the
Chairperson also discussed U.S. support for public health in Africa.<br />
<br />AMIP News (Info@afroimagetv.org)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10256754630649188311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865706299215641204.post-71414216983126128072020-04-13T23:01:00.002-04:002020-04-13T23:01:26.979-04:00Sec. Pompeo Meets With Ethiopian Inter-Religious Council<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWxLdYKor5cb6yq0q9xfB8_Ev9ug-MYuXHPBOdgMAiPSn4LLaRPQF9Si0DMvoTztCwMge_VXik4Cbn0tAU0a3Xvxd5-XAQAXwj0rwTFr0JruPVXObmFsOBe7CpgnInQTHgb0uUyukhF4sQ/s1600/Pompeo+Inter-Religious+Council+in+Ethiopia+Feb+2020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWxLdYKor5cb6yq0q9xfB8_Ev9ug-MYuXHPBOdgMAiPSn4LLaRPQF9Si0DMvoTztCwMge_VXik4Cbn0tAU0a3Xvxd5-XAQAXwj0rwTFr0JruPVXObmFsOBe7CpgnInQTHgb0uUyukhF4sQ/s400/Pompeo+Inter-Religious+Council+in+Ethiopia+Feb+2020.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Photo: U.S. State Department</div>
<br />
Office of the Spokesperson<br />
Department of State<br />
Washington, DC<br />
<br />
February 18, 2020<br />
<br />
The statement below is attributable to Spokesperson Morgan Ortagus:<br />
<br />
Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo met today with the Ethiopian
Inter-Religious Council in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The Secretary
highlighted the fundamental importance of religious freedom in a
democracy and thanked the Council members for their leadership in their
respective religious communities. Secretary Pompeo and the Council also
discussed the important role the Inter-Religious council can play in
encouraging constructive dialogue between religious groups in Ethiopia.<br />
<br />AMIP News (Info@afroimagetv.org)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10256754630649188311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865706299215641204.post-48503833608491078912020-04-13T22:59:00.005-04:002020-04-13T22:59:55.849-04:00Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Meets Sec. Pompeo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8aRkmZFkUA8kcZn3kUlVbILZibABtFbhJDv1ppg7gE9B591RPSnkVf8T1Mlmx_Wwsv6TweG_KH0-cnW6IF5mBKul94e0eCoJ7VUOL1RPsgeJvBEPURKbweoxSpr9vEtJpWFtyqD2epzJR/s1600/Pompeo+Abiy+Feb+2020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8aRkmZFkUA8kcZn3kUlVbILZibABtFbhJDv1ppg7gE9B591RPSnkVf8T1Mlmx_Wwsv6TweG_KH0-cnW6IF5mBKul94e0eCoJ7VUOL1RPsgeJvBEPURKbweoxSpr9vEtJpWFtyqD2epzJR/s400/Pompeo+Abiy+Feb+2020.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Photo: U.S. State Department</div>
<br />
Office of the Spokesperson<br />
Department of State<br />
Washington, DC<br />
<br />
February 18, 2020<br />
<br />
The statement below is attributable to Spokesperson Morgan Ortagus:<br />
<br />
Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo met today with Ethiopian Prime
Minister Abiy Ahmed in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Secretary Pompeo
reiterated the United States’ support for Ethiopia’s historic political
and economic reforms and discussed opportunities for increased
partnership. The Secretary and the Prime Minister also discussed the
importance of organizing free and fair elections later this year.
Secretary Pompeo thanked Prime Minister Abiy for his leadership in the
Horn of Africa and for Ethiopia’s peacekeeping deployments to Somalia,
Sudan, and South Sudan.AMIP News (Info@afroimagetv.org)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10256754630649188311noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7865706299215641204.post-32658531475043593032020-04-13T22:58:00.003-04:002020-04-13T22:58:36.047-04:00Ethiopian President Sahle-Work Meets Sec. Pompeo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirX4Lg5qE0Nbc3mguIj14ro7YvViHBMj9cVoEmBFlmH10_8acWj3M7lsyvB1VR_L-Pn0SQvEuouSm7FCnbjw_CEHC-sVKawa306reEkgN89BTBsmkEEdfw6oT0VY8uvvWlshdODvXaB773/s1600/Pompeo+Sahle-Work.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirX4Lg5qE0Nbc3mguIj14ro7YvViHBMj9cVoEmBFlmH10_8acWj3M7lsyvB1VR_L-Pn0SQvEuouSm7FCnbjw_CEHC-sVKawa306reEkgN89BTBsmkEEdfw6oT0VY8uvvWlshdODvXaB773/s400/Pompeo+Sahle-Work.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Photo: U.S. State Department</div>
<br />
Office of the Spokesperson<br />
Department of State<br />
Washington, DC<br />
<br />
February 18, 2020<br />
<br />
The statement below is attributable to Spokesperson Morgan Ortagus:<br />
<br />
Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo met today with Ethiopian
President Sahle-Work Zewde in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Secretary Pompeo
commended President Sahle-Work for her leadership in advancing landmark
reforms and for her efforts to support women’s empowerment initiatives.
The Secretary highlighted the importance of organizing free and fair
elections in 2020 that are deemed credible by the Ethiopian people.
Secretary Pompeo and President Sahle-Work also discussed opportunities
for U.S.-Ethiopia bilateral cooperation.<br />
<br />AMIP News (Info@afroimagetv.org)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10256754630649188311noreply@blogger.com0