Washington, DC — President Bush will meet on Thursday with President Daniel Arap Moi of Kenya and Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.
The fight against terrorism and the expanding role of the U.S. military in the region have been pushed to the top of the agenda following last weekend's car bombing of a hotel and missile attack against an Israeli airliner in Mombassa, Kenya.
"These incidents have highlighted the continuing threat posed by terrorism in East Africa," the State department said Saturday, in a statement reacting to the attacks.
Djibouti President Ismael Omar Guelleh was also invited to join Moi and Zenawi at the White House, but he declined, because he would have been out of his country during Eid, one of Islam's holiest days. Djibouti is 94 percent Muslim.
With a strategic location "astride vital sea lanes that are being used to ship American matériel to the Persian Gulf," Michael Gordon reported in the New York Times on Sunday, "it is not surprising that the Pentagon would want to deploy some 800 Special Operations forces and other troops here to strike at terrorist cells in Yemen and East Africa" or that the CIA "recently used Djibouti to mount an attack on a Qaeda operative in Yemen with a Predator drone equipped with Hellfire missiles. "
In a travel advisory, also issued Saturday, the State Department said: "Djibouti is one of a number of countries in east Africa where there may be an increased terrorist threat."
The meeting with Moi and Meles is one of a series Bush has held with groups of African leaders since taking office. "This happens to be the way that President Bush likes to meet with regional leaders," said one source close to the planning of this trip. "There may be a host of issues - some apply to some countries, some don't."
On Thursday, Moi will address both the Corporate Council on Africa and the Council on Foreign Relations, at a session chaired by Rep. Donald Payne (D-NJ). Payne and Moi will dine privately on Wednesday night. On Friday, Moi will meet with Secretary of State Colin Powell. The U.S. agenda during the Kenyan president's visit includes the country's December 27 elections and the transition to an incoming administration from Moi, who has been in office for the past 24 years.
The Bush administration wants assurances from Moi that the electoral process will be fair to all the candidates. U.S. officials also plan to discuss preparations for President Bush's visit to Africa. Following a brief appearance in Mauritius at the second African Growth and Opportunities Act "Trade and Economic Cooperation Forum," which is scheduled to begin January 13, President Bush is slated to travel to Kenya for the formal opening of the new American embassy, constructed to replace the building destroyed by the terrorist bomb attack in 1998.
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The president's plans to visit Africa are now definite, a usually reliable source told AllAfrica, and they include South Africa and, possibly, Nigeria.
For Meles, his minority hold on power will take a back seat during the discussions to American interest in Ethiopia's potential role as a regional peacekeeper. "The U.S. would prefer no European boots on the ground," said one source close to administration thinking. "Ethiopia has a bunch of troops and has shown some military prowess. And there is some history with the U.S."
Pentagon officials are said to be interested in meeting with Meles, but the details of his private visit to Washington remain unclear. No public appearances or speeches have been announced by the Ethiopian embassy in Washington or the government in Addis.
