Abuja, July 12: US President George W Bush wrapped up a five-nation tour of Africa today with a promise to "be active" in war-torn Liberia but without saying what that would entail for US troops. Bush today met privately with Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo, and Liberia, trade and aids were high on the agenda. Bush is awaiting the reports from teams of military experts, who are surveying the situation in the West African nation and involved in talks with regional leaders, before deciding whether to deploy us soldiers to help keep the peace in Liberia.
"Our assessment teams are still in place," bush told reporters. "I told the president we would, you know, be active. The definition of that will be made known when we understand all the parameters." In a country - Africa's most populous - where about one million children have been orphaned by aids, Bush also met with HIV/AIDS patients before closing the trip with remarks at an annual summit that focuses on development in sub-Saharan Africa.
Bush's tour took him to corners of Africa most devastated by the HIV/AIDS pandemic that has killed thousands and has made orphans out of countless others. Nearly 30 million live with HIV/AIDS.
In private meetings with the leaders of Senegal, South Africa, Botswana and Uganda, Bush praised their aids awareness efforts but urged them to do more to help their countries and the continent overcome the often-fatal disease.
Bureau Report