Congo Briefing - Part IV
towardfreedom.com
Excerpt:
[...]A Belgian diplomat is more blunt. "How long can this go on before a dozen US security officers are killed?" he wonders, recalling the death of 30 [the correct number is 10] Belgian paratroopers in Kigali, Rwanda, in 1994. "And what will the US administration's reaction be then?"
To many observers, this headlong plunge, driven by business and military pressure, forms a dangerous mix. But others, such as Rev. Jackson, are more confident. "Africa has a lot to offer, the United States has a lot to offer," he predicted before a meeting with Kenya's now re-elected President Daniel arap Moi, "and the fact that we both have a lot to offer makes us want to be good friends and mutually-beneficial trading partners." Whether that sentiment becomes reality depends on at least three factors: corporate responsibility, a reduced US military presence, and a strong, clearly defined African policy. At the moment, hopes are high, especially since Albright's tour and the announcement that President Clinton plans to visit Africa this year.
During her Africa tour in December, Albright's announcement that Clinton's Partnership for Economic Growth and Opportunity will provide a $90 million loan to develop new oil fields in Angola was encouraging. But a subsequent statement, made during a visit to a Chevron oil drilling platform, raised eyebrows. An additional $350 million from the US Export-Import Bank, she explained, may only support the purchase of US equipment, a move suggesting that the State Department is more interested in promoting US commercial interests than African self-reliance.
Compared with China's pending $150 million no-strings-attached grant to the Congo, the US requirement raises the specter of colonial thinking.[...]
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The bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, the killings of American tourists in Uganda's Mountain Gorilla Park... will all these outrages be enough to repel the U.S. off Central Africa? You tell me!
PS: BTW I want a 70-30 split on the FBI reward --after all, I picked out the right target!
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