Washington, D.C. — On the second day of his "working" visit to the United States, Nigerian President Olusegun Obansanjo met with President George Bush, African-American leaders, World Bank and IMF executives and congressional leaders. But HIV/AIDS and regional conflict in Africa framed the key discussions.
Citing Sierra Leone, Angola and Congo as areas "ravaged by conflict," President Obasanjo told reporters Friday, that after briefing President Bush, "we have the support of the government of the United States in our peacekeeping and conflict resolution efforts in Africa."
It is not yet clear whether this will mean more military assistance money for Nigeria. Military cooperation between the west African nation and the United States has been growing since its return to civillian rule. In Washington, administration figures have been stressing their hope that Nigeria will play a key role in the stability and security of west Africa.
According to Obasanjo, he and Bush specifically discussed "how we prepare our troops for these increasing peacekeeping roles in Africa." Although he did not offer details, Obasanjo acknowledged past and present U.S. military assistance "for which we are grateful and which will continue to really make our troops to be able to perform adequately in peacekeeping roles."
Friday morning, before his meeting with President Obasanjo, flanked by United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan as well as Obasanjo in the White House Rose Garden, President Bush made his expected announcement of a "founding contribution" of $200 million to a new worldwide fund that aims to halt the spread of HIV/AIDS, as well as fight tuberculosis and malaria.
"The devastation across the globe left by AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, the sheer number of those infected and dying is almost beyond comprehension. Suffering on the African continent has been especially great," Bush said. In sub-Saharan Africa, HIV/AIDS is now the leading cause of death. But TB killed 1.7 million last year, and malaria killed more than a million in Africa last year, most of them children.
"We have the power to help," Bush said, explaining that he and Secretary General Annan began discussions about creating a global fund this past March. Mr. Annan says the fund will require a "war chest" of between $7 to $8 billion annually.
The global fund's purpose is to bring all the AIDS initiatives into one clearly defined effort, said Annan. There are five goals: prevention, combating transmission from mother to child, care and treatment within everyone's reach, research for a cure against AIDS and special care for the more than 13 million "AIDS orphans."
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The "consensus" reached on the Global Fund, said Bush, is represented by five "basic elements":
* public/private partnerships across borders * an "integrated approach" - prevention as well as treatment * concentration on "proven practices" * review of all proposals by medical and public health experts * respect for intellectual property rights
As president Bush spoke, a small group of protestors picketed and denounced as "meager" the administration's contribution to the Fund. "It is tragic that the richest country in human history is unwilling to contribute its fair share to finance the solution," said Salih Booker, Executive Director of Africa Action. His organization proposes that the United States set aside five percent of the budget surplus each year to help finance global health efforts. "Such an approach," said Booker, "would send a signal that the U.S. shares a sense of global responsibility rather than regarding globalization only as an opportunity for corporate profit."
This debate is sure to continue, although it seemed far removed from the words spoken in the Rose Garden and on the south lawn Friday morning and afternoon. "Nigeria is a friend of America," declared Mr. Bush, "and the President is a friend of mine." "I am happy to make a friend of President Bush," responded Mr. Obasanjo. "He knows how I smile."
