Monrovia — Thursday was not officially declared a national holiday in Liberia, but with thousands that gathered in the streets of Monrovia to welcome United States President George W. Bush, it certainly felt like one. School children, government workers, market women, and street peddlers lined the streets to welcome President Bush and his entourage to Liberia.
The visit is the first in three decades for an American President. President Jimmy Carter visited Liberia in 1978.
Before the visit, Donald Booth, the U.S. ambassador to Liberia, moved to reduce high expectations, saying that Liberians should not expect new initiatives or commitments.
Still, many Liberians had high expectations for President Bush's visit because of the historical ties between the two countries. Liberia, the oldest independent country in Africa, was founded by free American slaves in 1847, and today Liberia is considered a strong U.S. ally.
The Long-Awaited Arrival
President Bush touched down at the Liberian international airport – Roberts International Airport – on board Air Force One at about nine o'clock GMT before he was flown away in an American helicopter to a smaller airport – The James Spriggs Payne Airport – in the city of Monrovia itself, a few minutes away from Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf's home. She was on hand to meet President Bush.
President Bush received a Kola nut from a chief, a traditional Liberian welcome, when he arrived.
The atmosphere was electric when President Bush left for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which temporarily houses President Sirleaf's office. As the motorcade moved along the the main streets, thousands of people who had gathered since very early morning waved both American and Liberian Flags. President Bush, contrary to expectations, rode in a vehicle with a transparent windshield, making him visible to onlookers. President Bush waved back at well wishers.
President Bush was accompanied by his wife Laura Bush. Laura Bush, who had visited Liberia in 2006 for the inauguration of President Sirleaf, observed that there had been progress on the reconstruction effort.
Before President Bush's visit, Monrovia streets were cleaned of trash and debris. This made the city unusually clean.
Ceremony at Barclay Training Center
President Bush stressed the historical ties between both countries in a speech at Barclay Training Center in Monrovia.
"Though we are over four thousand, five hundreds miles away, I feel pretty much at home here," he said.
In an eight minute speech to a mostly cheering crowd of dignitaries gathered at the barracks, President Bush spoke of the "great" leadership of President Sirleaf.
"I am proud to called her friend, and I am proud of the work we are doing together to help the people of this nation build a better life," he said.
He added that the United States is working to lift the burden of debt from Liberia so that Liberia "can leash its potential and the entrepreneurial spirits of its citizens."
As President Bush has done during many of the stops during his Africa tour, he emphasized the importance of getting a "good education," announcing that the United States will provide one million text books over the next year as well as desks for at least ten thousand Liberian children by the start of the new school year.
Finally, President Bush said that the United States will continue to support the training of the army of Liberia to be a "source of security instead of a source of terror."
Liberian President Sirleaf spoke before President Bush. She welcomed President Bush and his party to Liberia and also praised the partnership that exists between both countries.
Specifically, President Sirleaf thanked the United States for the key role it has played in supporting the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Liberia. "The mission will ultimately be replaced by our own security forces, whose ongoing training is being supported by your administration and by the Congress," she said.
President Sirleaf said that she understood the need to reduce the UN peacekeeping force but urged President Bush not to do so until Liberia's own security forces are ready.
President Bush was awarded Liberia's highest honor – the Chain of State and Grand Cordon in the Venerable Order of the knighthood of the pioneers.
Debates on Africom
Though no reference was made to the controversial U.S. Africa Command (Africom), it lurked in the back of everyone's mind. In Ghana on Wednesday, President Bush said that speculation that Africom included plans for new bases in Africa was "baloney."
Still, Liberia is the only country in Africa that has offered to host Africom, and some say that President Bush chose to visit Liberia for this reason.
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Speaking to the British Broadcasting Corporation earlier on Thursday morning, President Sirleaf said that she doesn't think Africom will be based on the continent in the near future.
"I believe given the concerns expressed by many African leaders, the U.S. has decided to keep the base in Germany for now," she said.
Sirleaf, however, hopes that the U.S. will continue to negotiate with other African countries. She also acknowledged her desire to have the Africom headquarters in Liberia to help build the capacity of Liberia's military.
No Sign of Protests
Before the visit, there were threats of demonstrations from some groups, including the controversial Forum for the Establishment War Crimes Court in Liberia.
Though there have not been any major protests since President Bush arrived, a local radio station reported that the head of the Forum, Mulbah Morlu, was picked up this morning for questioning by the police. According to reports, the Justice Ministry ordered the release of Morlu for what it called giving the group undue publicity.
