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CNN Live At Daybreak
President Bush Arrives in Senegal
Aired July 08, 2003 - 06:07 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KRIS OSBORN, CNN ANCHOR: Also in other parts of the news, the president has arrived in Senegal just over two hours ago. It's the first stop on his week-long visit to five African nations.
White House correspondent Chris Burns is traveling with the president. He joins us now from Dakar, Senegal.
Hello -- Chris.
CHRIS BURNS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kris.
Well, President Bush comes with the message that lifting Africa out of poverty, famine, hunger, disease is not just a good thing, it's also a strategic thing. That actually trying to lift some of these failed or failing states out of their situations could help to stabilize the situation there, and also try to prevent terrorism from spawning in those areas.
So, very, very important for the president to come through five countries in five days to push his message, along with billions of dollars in aid that he has promised to help fight AIDS and other things that are plaguing the African countries.
Now, topping the issues today are Liberia. The president having arrived, being greeted by Abdoulaye Wade, the president of Senegal, and meeting with seven other democratic leaders of democratic African countries, talking mainly about Liberia. This is a country that could descend into a bloody civil war again if peacekeeping troops are not sent.
Now, the president having said just moments ago that he had a good discussion with those leaders, that he talked with a group of so- called ECOWAS West African countries that would like to move in and try to stabilize the situation with peacekeeping troops, hopefully, they say, with U.S. peacekeeping troops as well. The president still noncommittal about that, saying that they're still trying to determine what the U.S. role will be. He says, in his words, we're in the process of determining just that, but that the U.S. will be working with ECOWAS.
Other issues, of course, fighting AIDS; also trying to fight terrorism -- the president working with a number of countries on that.
However, the president will also take some time to go to Goree Island. That is the island just off of Dakar here in Senegal. It was the island where millions of Africans were sent into slavery hundreds of years ago. The president will give a speech today. He's not expected to give an apology for the slavery. White House officials saying that there's plenty of blame to go around for that, but the president will be underlining this very important historic link between Africa and America -- Kris.
OSBORN: Well, Chris, is there any anticipated friction expected when the president goes, as you mentioned, to sub-Saharan Africa and heads down to South Africa? I know he won't meet with former President Nelson Mandela, but the former president of South Africa has certainly been very critical of the president, and they have big differences over Iraq.
BURNS: Well, absolutely. And, in fact, even here yesterday there was a protest by a few dozen protestors against President Bush in part over the U.S. invasion of Iraq and also in Afghanistan. This is a mainly Muslim country.
There were also protests over the weekend in South Africa against President Bush. There remains a lot of bitterness among people -- quite a few people in Africa over President Bush's actions in those countries.
However, part of the president's aim here is also to show that not only is the U.S. willing to wield a big stick, but it's also willing to use its soft power, to use the power of the heart to try to appeal to people and show that the U.S. is willing to spend billions of dollars to try to stem the spread of AIDS, stem the spread of poverty and famine, and that is part of the president's aim during this five-day trip -- Kris.
OSBORN: Certainly. Thank you very much. CNN's Chris Burns live from Senegal on the president's trip to five countries in Africa.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
Aired July 8, 2003 - 06:07 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KRIS OSBORN, CNN ANCHOR: Also in other parts of the news, the president has arrived in Senegal just over two hours ago. It's the first stop on his week-long visit to five African nations.
White House correspondent Chris Burns is traveling with the president. He joins us now from Dakar, Senegal.
Hello -- Chris.
CHRIS BURNS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kris.
Well, President Bush comes with the message that lifting Africa out of poverty, famine, hunger, disease is not just a good thing, it's also a strategic thing. That actually trying to lift some of these failed or failing states out of their situations could help to stabilize the situation there, and also try to prevent terrorism from spawning in those areas.
So, very, very important for the president to come through five countries in five days to push his message, along with billions of dollars in aid that he has promised to help fight AIDS and other things that are plaguing the African countries.
Now, topping the issues today are Liberia. The president having arrived, being greeted by Abdoulaye Wade, the president of Senegal, and meeting with seven other democratic leaders of democratic African countries, talking mainly about Liberia. This is a country that could descend into a bloody civil war again if peacekeeping troops are not sent.
Now, the president having said just moments ago that he had a good discussion with those leaders, that he talked with a group of so- called ECOWAS West African countries that would like to move in and try to stabilize the situation with peacekeeping troops, hopefully, they say, with U.S. peacekeeping troops as well. The president still noncommittal about that, saying that they're still trying to determine what the U.S. role will be. He says, in his words, we're in the process of determining just that, but that the U.S. will be working with ECOWAS.
Other issues, of course, fighting AIDS; also trying to fight terrorism -- the president working with a number of countries on that.
However, the president will also take some time to go to Goree Island. That is the island just off of Dakar here in Senegal. It was the island where millions of Africans were sent into slavery hundreds of years ago. The president will give a speech today. He's not expected to give an apology for the slavery. White House officials saying that there's plenty of blame to go around for that, but the president will be underlining this very important historic link between Africa and America -- Kris.
OSBORN: Well, Chris, is there any anticipated friction expected when the president goes, as you mentioned, to sub-Saharan Africa and heads down to South Africa? I know he won't meet with former President Nelson Mandela, but the former president of South Africa has certainly been very critical of the president, and they have big differences over Iraq.
BURNS: Well, absolutely. And, in fact, even here yesterday there was a protest by a few dozen protestors against President Bush in part over the U.S. invasion of Iraq and also in Afghanistan. This is a mainly Muslim country.
There were also protests over the weekend in South Africa against President Bush. There remains a lot of bitterness among people -- quite a few people in Africa over President Bush's actions in those countries.
However, part of the president's aim here is also to show that not only is the U.S. willing to wield a big stick, but it's also willing to use its soft power, to use the power of the heart to try to appeal to people and show that the U.S. is willing to spend billions of dollars to try to stem the spread of AIDS, stem the spread of poverty and famine, and that is part of the president's aim during this five-day trip -- Kris.
OSBORN: Certainly. Thank you very much. CNN's Chris Burns live from Senegal on the president's trip to five countries in Africa.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
