U.S. President Barack Obama says Africans must take more responsibility for wiping out poverty, war and disease on the continent. In a speech to the Ghanaian parliament, the president said we need – what he described as – a new moment of great progress.
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Darfur peace talks held in Egypt
July 12th, 2009 |
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The President of Sudan, Omar al-Bashir, is expected in Cairo for talks with President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt on resolving the conflict in Darfur.
The meeting is part of efforts by Egypt to encourage negotiations between the Sudanese government and rebel groups.
Earlier, Egyptian officials met leaders of six guerrilla groups but the most powerful, the Justice and Equality Movement (Jem), did not attend.
The Darfur conflict is believed to have killed about 300,000 people since 2003.
Mr al-Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court for allegedly committing war crimes in the region.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said his country had a strategic interest in helping to secure peace in Darfur.
"There may be friendly countries or the United Nations or regional countries which have interests and try to achieve peace and stability in Darfur, and this is something we support and push for," he said.
"But Egypt has shared borders with Sudan."
Bahar Idriss Abu Garda, leader of the United Resistance Front, one of the rebel groups attending the talks, said Egypt would "play a very important" unifying role in the coming days.
No representatives from Jem, Sudan’s most active rebel group, attended the Cairo talks.
Qatar has been mediating separate peace talks between Khartoum and the Jem since February, but these were adjourned last month. </p
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Obama speaks of hopes for Africa
July 11th, 2009 |
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Barack Obama is making his first trip to sub-Saharan Africa since taking office, visiting a nation chosen for its democratic record, Ghana.
The US president will deliver a speech outlining his hope that good governance can flourish across the continent.
He will also visit a historic slave castle alongside his wife Michelle, a descendant of African slaves.
People have poured into the capital, Accra, for a glimpse of the president during his 24-hour stay in Ghana.
Mr Obama arrived in the capital late on Friday, fresh from a G8 summit in Italy where the world’s eight most powerful nations agreed on a $20bn (£12.3bn) fund to bolster agriculture – the main source of income for many sub-Saharan Africans.
Just before leaving for the Ghanian capital, Accra, he said: "There is no reason why Africa cannot be self-sufficient when it comes to food".
He said Ghana had been chosen for the visit because of its strong track record of democracy and stability.
He is also scheduled to hold talks with President John Atta Mills.
"Part of the reason that we’re travelling to Ghana is because you’ve got there a functioning democracy, a president who’s serious about reducing corruption and you’ve seen significant economic growth."
The BBC’s Will Ross says President Obama will find it a challenge in the current economic climate to match some of the achievements of his predecessor, George W Bush, when it comes to health care in Africa, especially in the fight against HIV.
The visit to the slave fort at Cape Coast Castle will be a poignant moment for the country’s first African-American president and for his wife Michelle, whose ancestors are believed to have come from West Africa, our correspondent says.
Tight security
Posters of Barack and Michelle Obama are to be seen everywhere in Accra, where their arrival was eagerly awaited.
The White House reported that over 5,000 Africans had sent text message to the US president ahead of the visit.
ANALYSISMartin Plaut, BBC News
For Ghanaians, there is little doubt that they deserve to be Mr Obama’s first real African destination since assuming office.
Nigeria was not really suitable, given the question marks over the way in which President Umaru Yar’Adua was elected. Kenya, home of Mr Obama’s father, experienced post-election violence. Ethiopia has jailed the leader of the opposition, and South Africa’s Jacob Zuma is new in the post and something of an unknown quantity.
Not only is Ghana clearly democratic, but it has some of the African oil on which the US increasingly depends, and there is the symbolic link with slavery, from which so many African-Americans trace their heritage.
So Ghana ticks Mr Obama’s boxes – a suitable stage on which to launch the president’s Africa policy on the continent itself. Obama brings hope amid dark memories
On arrival, President Obama and his family were met by President Atta Mills, and treated to a colourful welcome featuring drummers and traditional dancers.
Ghanaian musicians have written songs to mark the visit and it is clear that millions of Ghanaians would love to see Mr Obama, our correspondent says.
However, there will be few opportunities for them to do so during his 24-hour stay.
When former President Bill Clinton came more than a decade ago, he addressed hundreds of thousands of cheering Ghanaians.
But post-9/11, security is tighter and all events are for invited guests only, our correspondent notes.
Barack Obama visited sub-Saharan Africa while a US senator, making a trip to Kenya – his father’s homeland – in August 2006. Cape Coast, a town about 160km (100 miles) west of Accra, has even suspended funerals on account of Mr Obama’s impending visit to its old slave fort.
"We banned all funeral activities in Cape Coast because we want to give a befitting welcome to the US president," Ghana’s central regional minister, Ama Benyiwaa Doe, told AFP news agency.
"The dead can be buried later but Obama is here for once and we must pay all attention to him." </p
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Allison Kilkenny: Why Did President Obama Choose Ghana as His Africa Destination?
July 11th, 2009 |
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A quarter of US oil imports are expected to come from West Africa by 2015. That could explain why Obama chose Ghana over, say, his father’s homeland of Kenya.
Honduras Talks Fail To Reach Agreement
July 11th, 2009 |
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SAN JOSE, Costa Rica — Delegates representing the ousted and interim governments of Honduras failed to forge an agreement during a second day of talks and no fixed date was set for future negotiations.
The only consensus reached between…
‘Tyranny and corruption must end’
July 11th, 2009 |
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US president praises host Ghana as model for prosperity and says continent’s era of corrupt ‘strongman’ governments must end
In his first visit to Africa since taking office, Barack Obama said today that the continent of his ancestors must overcome tyranny and corruption if it is to flourish.
Speaking in Ghana’s parliament, Obama said the key to Africa’s future prosperity was democratic and accountable government.
“Development depends upon good governance. That is the ingredient which has been missing in far too many places, for far too long. That is the change that can unlock Africa’s potential,” he said.
In an tough speech aimed at politicians across the continent, he gave an unsentimental account of squandered opportunities since the end of colonial rule. “No country is going to create wealth if its leaders exploit the economy to enrich themselves, or police can be bought off by drug traffickers,” he said.
“No business wants to invest in a place where the government skims 20% off the top … No person wants to live in a society where the rule of law gives way to the rule of brutality and bribery. That is not democracy, that is tyranny, and now is the time for it to end.
“Africa doesn’t need strongmen, it needs strong institutions.”
Obama conceded that colonialism had left a legacy of conflicts and arbitrary borders. “But the west is not to blame for the destruction of the Zimbabwean economy over the last decade, or wars in which children are enlisted as combatants.
“Africa is not the crude caricature of a continent at war,” he said. “But for far too many Africans conflict is a part of life, as constant as the sun. There are wars over land and wars over resources. And it is still far too easy for those without conscience to manipulate whole communities into fighting among faiths and tribes.”
Earlier, after meeting Ghana’s president, John Atta Mills, Obama praised the country’s record of democracy and economic growth as a rare success in a continent beset by corruption and poor governance.
“We think that Ghana can be an extraordinary model for success throughout the continent.”
This morning, Obama was given a hero’s welcome in the country’s capital, Accra. Thousands of people wearing Obama T-shirts thronged the streets, cheering and waving as his motorcade swept past.
Walls and utility poles were plastered with posters of Obama and Mills, as well as the word “change” – the mantra of Obama’s presidential election campaign. Other posters showed the president and his wife, Michelle, with the greeting “Ghana loves you”.
Obama and his family arrived late last night from the G8 summit in Italy, where the world’s richest nations agreed on a $20bn (£12.4bn) food security plan to help poor nations feed themselves during the global recession.
Speaking in Italy before he left, Obama said: “There is no reason why Africa cannot be self-sufficient when it comes to food.”
The Obamas will visit Gold Coast Castle, a former British slave trading post. Michelle Obama is a great-great granddaughter of slaves.
The visit comes as the US plans a much more assertive policy in Africa, using both diplomacy and the threat of force to end the protracted conflicts in Democratic Republic of the Congo and Nigeria, which are seen as two of the main obstacles to the continent’s progress.
“This is both a special and an important visit for him personally as president, but also for our country to articulate a vision for Africa,” said Robert Gibbs, the White House spokesman.
Despite the enthusiastic reception from ordinary Ghanians, no major public events have been planned during Obama’s 21-hour visit, for fear it could cause a celebratory stampede, as almost happened during a 1998 stop by Bill Clinton.
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Obama In Ghana: ‘Africa Not Separate From World Affairs’
July 11th, 2009 |
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ACCRA, Ghana — An American president who has “the blood of Africa within me” praised and scolded the continent of his ancestors Saturday, asserting forces of tyranny and corruption must yield if Africa is to achieve its promise.
“Yes yo…
WATCH LIVE: President Obama Speaks To Ghana’s Parliament
July 11th, 2009 |
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President, PM call for respect for victims
July 11th, 2009 |
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Boris Tadić stated that for the sake of the victims of Srebrenica but also other victims, those who committed war crimes must be in the Hague Tribunal. The president said on Saturday in Belgrade that Serbia is committed to cooperation with the tribunal and is doing everything to finalize it, not only because it is “our legal obligation”, but also “for our own sakes and the sake of reconciliation between peoples and a more prosperous life in the Balkans”.
Historic African trip for Obama
July 11th, 2009 |
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Barack Obama, the first African-American president, is due in Ghana shortly on his first visit to sub-Saharan Africa as US leader.
Ghana was chosen because of its democratic track record and Mr Obama is expected to use the trip to promote democracy across the continent.
He is due to visit a former slave fort as part of the 24-hour visit.
Posters of Barack and Michelle Obama dot the capital, Accra, where their arrival is eagerly awaited.
"The dead can be buried later but Obama is here for once and we must pay all attention to him"
Ama Benyiwaa Doe
Ghanaian minister, explaining suspension of funerals in Cape Coast
Musicians have written songs to mark the event and it is clear that millions of Ghanaians would love to see Mr Obama, the BBC’s Will Ross reports from the city.
However, there will be few opportunities for them to do so during his 24-hour stay.
When former President Bill Clinton came more than a decade ago, he addressed hundreds of thousands of cheering Ghanaians.
But post-9/11, security is tighter and all events are for invited guests only, our correspondent notes.
Key rings and umbrellas
Barack Obama visited sub-Saharan Africa while a US senator, making a trip to Kenya – his father’s homeland – in August 2006.
ANALYSISMartin Plaut, BBC News
For Ghanaians, there is little doubt that they deserve to be Mr Obama’s first real African destination since assuming office.
Nigeria was not really suitable, given the question marks over the way in which President Umaru Yar’Adua was elected. Kenya, home of Mr Obama’s father, experienced post-election violence. Ethiopia has jailed the leader of the opposition, and South Africa’s Jacob Zuma is new in the post and something of an unknown quantity.
Not only is Ghana clearly democratic, but it has some of the African oil on which the US increasingly depends, and there is the symbolic link with slavery, from which so many African-Americans trace their heritage.
So Ghana ticks Mr Obama’s boxes – a suitable stage on which to launch the president’s Africa policy on the continent itself.
Mr Obama’s official business on Saturday includes talks with Ghana’s president and a speech to parliament.
With the US president due to touch down late on Friday, people were already out celebrating, dancing and drumming in the seaside city’s streets.
Memorabilia being sold by vendors ranged from key rings and coffee mugs to handkerchiefs and umbrellas bearing portraits of Mr Obama and Ghana’s President John Atta-Mills.
Thousands of police have been deployed for the visit and a number of city roads were closed on Friday.
Cape Coast, a town about 160km (100 miles) west of Accra, has even suspended funerals on account of Mr Obama’s impending visit to its old slave fort.
"We banned all funeral activities in Cape Coast because we want to give a befitting welcome to the US president," Ghana’s central regional minister, Ama Benyiwaa Doe, told AFP news agency.
"The dead can be buried later but Obama is here for once and we must pay all attention to him."
Squeeze on aid
Across the African continent, people are pinning a lot of hope on Barack Obama partly because of his African roots but also because of his election slogan, Yes We Can, our correspondent reports.
He arrives in Ghana hours after leaders of the G8 industrialised countries pledged billions of dollars to boost agriculture – the main source of income for many sub-Saharan Africans.
But in Africa it will not be easy for Mr Obama to live up to some of the achievements of his predecessor, George W Bush, Will Ross adds.
The financial climate is different now and American-funded programmes, such as the provision of medicine for people living with HIV, are facing new challenges. </p
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Obama begins landmark visit to Ghana
July 11th, 2009 |
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US President Barack Obama on Saturday addresses parliament and visits a historic slave castle during a landmark visit to Ghana, widely seen as a tribute to a vibrant democracy in conflict-scarred Africa. Obama will speak to lawmakers about democracy during the 24-hour visit, his first to
President, ministers visit south in wake of attack
July 10th, 2009 |
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President Boris Tadić says that yesterday’s attack on Gendarmerie members was an act of terrorism, but that the state will not respond with excessive force. On a visit to a Serbian police (MUP) Gendarmerie base in the Ground Safety Zone (GSZ), Tadić said that those responsible for yesterday’s attack, where two Gendarmerie members were wounded, would be treated as an act of terrorism.
Sejdiu makes annual address to assembly
July 10th, 2009 |
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Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu says that the province has “demonstrated that it is a home for all citizens, regardless of ethnicity or religion”. In this annual address to the assembly in PriÅ¡tina, Sejdiu said that the institutions of Kosovo had “proven to the citizens and international community that they are a serious partner and that Kosovo is an important factor for peace and stability.â€