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CNN Sunday Morning

Interview With Reed Kramer

Aired July 06, 2003 - 09:38   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.


(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I propose the emergency plan for AIDS relief. A work of mercy beyond all current international efforts to help the people of Africa. I ask the Congress to commit $15 billion over the next five years, including nearly $10 billion in new money to turn the tide against AIDS in the most afflicted nations of Africa and the Caribbean.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Well, that was President Bush's State of the Union address back in January. Now more than five months later, Africa is at the top of the president's to-do list. He's exploring whether to send U.S. peacekeeping troops to Liberia to help quell fighting there. And he leaves tomorrow for a five-nation tour of the continent. Why now?

Well, joining me to talk about it is Reed Kramer of all allafrica.com. Good to see you, Reed.

REED KRAMER, ALLAFRICA.COM: Morning.

WHITFIELD: Well, the French stepped in to help the Ivory Coast. The British helped out to help Sierra Leone, and the reasons were mostly humanitarian, but also because instability in either one of those nations would possibly bring instability in all of West Africa. Is that why the U.S. is now stepping in on Liberia, as you see it?

KRAMER: Well, that's why the president is looking at helping out the West African effort to bring peace to Liberia, I believe.

There's a long, as you've been reporting all morning, there's a long historical relationship, and there's - ties have continued throughout this period. Including throughout the Cold War, when Liberia was a staunch U.S. ally, supplying everything from a V.O.A. transmitter to a C.A. listening post, to an operational center for the CIA's anti-Khaddafi campaign in 1980.

So these are the reasons that Africa, and most of the rest of the world, at least, looks to the United States to take a leadership role in Liberia.

WHITFIELD: Now, a U.S. assessment team is going to be on the ground in Monrovia later on today. And for now, for this week, Bush is going to be focusing on this five-nation, five-day tour on aids, on security, and on trade. But do you see Liberia and its state of affairs, its president, really upstaging the efforts of President Bush on this five-day tour?

KRAMER: Well, Liberia's going to be on the front of everybody's mind as he tours these five nations, undoubtedly for the reasons we just discussed. But there are other key issues that Africans want to discuss with the president.

They want him to match the promises with policies. His HIV AIDS program, for example, still needs to be funded, and looks like it won't be funded to the extent he called for, at least in the first year.

And there are other issues, like opening U.S. markets to African goods. This is something that African leaders give high priority to. And here the administration comes in confrontation with U.S. farm subsidies, the farm bill that was passed in 2002. It has been quite harmful to African efforts to export the United States. So these are issues that African leaders want to discuss with the president.

WHITFIELD: So AIDS and trade are things that African nations are going to be pressing President Bush on. But security is another. Particularly because it's Kenya, Tanzania, as well as Sudan, who have all had their brushes, and violent brushes, with terrorist activity as well. So security is certainly paramount, don't you see that?

KRAMER: Security is one of the top issues. U.S. policy makers agree that it's one of three or four key interests that the United States have in Africa. And Africans also want U.S. help on security matters. And they want U.S. backing and training for their security efforts. So you're correct. Security is high.

WHITFIELD: So, Reed, what realistically can be accomplished, though, when President Bush spends only one day on the ground on these five various nations to talk about all of these three issues and more?

KRAMER: Well, the meetings will be brief, as you suggest; not even a full day in some of the countries he's visiting. So the discussions, I'm sure, will just hit the high points; the policy discussions have begun prior to the trip and will continue. As the president says, this is only one part of the agenda of U.S.-Africa relationship.

WHITFIELD: So, do you see them more as picture opportunities, or do you see that his presence certainly helps seal the deal, or seal the promises that have been made to these nations?

KRAMER: Well, the president's presence is important. It's symbolically important, but it goes beyond that. It focuses attention, media attention and other government's attention, on Africa. So it is significant, and African leaders welcome the president coming. But as I say, they also want something -- they want follow-through, they want to see something come out of it. And they're hoping that that will be the case.

WHITFIELD: And you see that his visit symbolically sends a message because, in your opinion, I've seen in some of your writings, that Africa has always been put on the back burner, and perhaps it never got the kind of international attention, humanitarian aid or otherwise, that it may be able to get as a result of this visit?

KRAMER: Well, presidential visits do help bring issues to the front. And so in the case of Africa, which is historically marginalized in U.S. foreign policy, this will help.

WHITFIELD: All right. Reed Kramer, thank you very much, from allafrica.com.

KRAMER: You're welcome.

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 6, 2003 - 09:38   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I propose the emergency plan for AIDS relief. A work of mercy beyond all current international efforts to help the people of Africa. I ask the Congress to commit $15 billion over the next five years, including nearly $10 billion in new money to turn the tide against AIDS in the most afflicted nations of Africa and the Caribbean.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Well, that was President Bush's State of the Union address back in January. Now more than five months later, Africa is at the top of the president's to-do list. He's exploring whether to send U.S. peacekeeping troops to Liberia to help quell fighting there. And he leaves tomorrow for a five-nation tour of the continent. Why now?

Well, joining me to talk about it is Reed Kramer of all allafrica.com. Good to see you, Reed.

REED KRAMER, ALLAFRICA.COM: Morning.

WHITFIELD: Well, the French stepped in to help the Ivory Coast. The British helped out to help Sierra Leone, and the reasons were mostly humanitarian, but also because instability in either one of those nations would possibly bring instability in all of West Africa. Is that why the U.S. is now stepping in on Liberia, as you see it?

KRAMER: Well, that's why the president is looking at helping out the West African effort to bring peace to Liberia, I believe.

There's a long, as you've been reporting all morning, there's a long historical relationship, and there's - ties have continued throughout this period. Including throughout the Cold War, when Liberia was a staunch U.S. ally, supplying everything from a V.O.A. transmitter to a C.A. listening post, to an operational center for the CIA's anti-Khaddafi campaign in 1980.

So these are the reasons that Africa, and most of the rest of the world, at least, looks to the United States to take a leadership role in Liberia.

WHITFIELD: Now, a U.S. assessment team is going to be on the ground in Monrovia later on today. And for now, for this week, Bush is going to be focusing on this five-nation, five-day tour on aids, on security, and on trade. But do you see Liberia and its state of affairs, its president, really upstaging the efforts of President Bush on this five-day tour?

KRAMER: Well, Liberia's going to be on the front of everybody's mind as he tours these five nations, undoubtedly for the reasons we just discussed. But there are other key issues that Africans want to discuss with the president.

They want him to match the promises with policies. His HIV AIDS program, for example, still needs to be funded, and looks like it won't be funded to the extent he called for, at least in the first year.

And there are other issues, like opening U.S. markets to African goods. This is something that African leaders give high priority to. And here the administration comes in confrontation with U.S. farm subsidies, the farm bill that was passed in 2002. It has been quite harmful to African efforts to export the United States. So these are issues that African leaders want to discuss with the president.

WHITFIELD: So AIDS and trade are things that African nations are going to be pressing President Bush on. But security is another. Particularly because it's Kenya, Tanzania, as well as Sudan, who have all had their brushes, and violent brushes, with terrorist activity as well. So security is certainly paramount, don't you see that?

KRAMER: Security is one of the top issues. U.S. policy makers agree that it's one of three or four key interests that the United States have in Africa. And Africans also want U.S. help on security matters. And they want U.S. backing and training for their security efforts. So you're correct. Security is high.

WHITFIELD: So, Reed, what realistically can be accomplished, though, when President Bush spends only one day on the ground on these five various nations to talk about all of these three issues and more?

KRAMER: Well, the meetings will be brief, as you suggest; not even a full day in some of the countries he's visiting. So the discussions, I'm sure, will just hit the high points; the policy discussions have begun prior to the trip and will continue. As the president says, this is only one part of the agenda of U.S.-Africa relationship.

WHITFIELD: So, do you see them more as picture opportunities, or do you see that his presence certainly helps seal the deal, or seal the promises that have been made to these nations?

KRAMER: Well, the president's presence is important. It's symbolically important, but it goes beyond that. It focuses attention, media attention and other government's attention, on Africa. So it is significant, and African leaders welcome the president coming. But as I say, they also want something -- they want follow-through, they want to see something come out of it. And they're hoping that that will be the case.

WHITFIELD: And you see that his visit symbolically sends a message because, in your opinion, I've seen in some of your writings, that Africa has always been put on the back burner, and perhaps it never got the kind of international attention, humanitarian aid or otherwise, that it may be able to get as a result of this visit?

KRAMER: Well, presidential visits do help bring issues to the front. And so in the case of Africa, which is historically marginalized in U.S. foreign policy, this will help.

WHITFIELD: All right. Reed Kramer, thank you very much, from allafrica.com.

KRAMER: You're welcome.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com