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United States to establish diplomatic mission to the African Union
The United States will be the first non-African country to establish a separate diplomatic mission to the African Union (AU), and that reflects the U.S. government's commitment to the organisation, said Cindy L. Courville, the U.S. ambassador-designate to the AU. In her testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Courville quoted President Bush as saying: "Africa holds growing geo-strategic importance and is a high priority of this administration. It is a place of promise and opportunity, linked to the United States by history, culture, commerce and strategic significance.
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Our goal is an African continent that knows liberty, peace, stability and increasing prosperity." Courville said that those core convictions will guide her actions in Africa. However, the U.S. Senate is still to approve her nomination to head the new U.S. mission
in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, which is where the headquarters of the AU located. Courville praised the AU as a "force multiplier" for the consolidation of democracy in Africa. And she said that a democratic, peaceful, stable and economically strong Africa is mutually beneficial to both Africa and the United States.
Additionally, she said that the United States will seek to advance economic development across Africa through greater trade and investment there. |
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She credited the AU for building its economic policy framework on the principles outlined in the New Partnership for Africa's Development, or
NEPAD. That program underscores the fact that Africans must take responsibility for their own development and adopt the economic policies required to attract investment and create jobs.
For that reason, the United States must work with its African partners to build a regional peacekeeping capacity, increase counterterrorism cooperation and enhance disaster mitigation and response capability. America's interest is not only for a more secure Africa, but also for a much healthier Continent.
Presently, the United States contributes nearly half of the resources provided by all donor governments to fight global HIV/AIDS, Courville said. The United States also stands as the largest bilateral donor to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, providing $600 million between 2001 and 2003, she added. She pledged that if confirmed, she will continue to work with the AU to help it achieve a healthier Africa.
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