Thursday AfricaDigest (9/30): High-Level U.S. Delegation Attending Nigeria's 50th Celebration
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Nigeria: High-Level U.S. Delegation Attending Nigeria's 50th
Celebration
Charles W. Corey
29 September 2010
President Obama is sending a high-level delegation to attend Nigeria's
50th anniversary independence celebration October 1, reflecting the
high level of importance the United States places on the U.S.-Nigeria
bilateral relationship.
Looking ahead, the United States sees Nigeria's 2011 presidential
election as an event of major importance that could reflect an
enormous "paradigm shift," reaffirming Nigeria's long-term commitment
to democracy.
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson
made those points during a September 29 telephone press briefing with
Nigerian reporters based in Lagos and Abuja. Carson spoke from his
office at the State Department in Washington, just prior to leaving
for Nigeria.
Asked about the 50th anniversary celebration, Carson told the
reporters that the U.S. delegation, of which he will be a member, will
be headed by Rajiv Shah, the administrator of the U.S. Agency for
International Development (USAID), and will also include Walter C.
Jones, the U.S. executive director to the African Development Bank,
and James P. McAnulty, the chargé d'affaires at the U.S. diplomatic
mission to Nigeria.
"We are undertaking this presidential mission to Nigeria to reflect
the importance the United States attaches to its relationship to
Nigeria," Carson told his audience. "The United States regards Nigeria
as one of the two or three most important countries on the continent.
It is important in and of itself as the most populous state in Africa
and one of the largest Muslim states in the world. It is also
important to the region as the largest economy and the most dynamic
business and commercial center in West Africa."
Additionally, Carson said Nigeria is important to the global community
and West Africa because of the enormous effort that it puts into
providing regional stability by supplying peacekeepers who participate
in U.N. operations. Nigeria's "efforts in support of stability in West
Africa are widely known and widely praised because of what it did in
both Sierra Leone and Liberia and what it is doing today as part of
the peacekeeping operations in Darfur," he said.
Nigeria is also important to the United States because it is one of
the global community's major producers of oil and the fourth-largest
supplier of petroleum to the United States, he added. "We value the
important relationship with Nigeria and, as a reflection of that, I
point out that President Goodluck Jonathan was in New York last week
and had an opportunity meet with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham
Clinton."
Over the past months as well, Carson explained, President Jonathan has
had the opportunity to hold talks with President Obama. "We regard
this as an important relationship with the United States and we
believe that it is important for us to be at this 50th anniversary to
celebrate what we hope will be 50 years of looking forward to building
on the country's democratic transformation."
Asked about the upcoming presidential elections in Nigeria, Carson
said they are "extremely important" for the people of Nigeria. "It is
an opportunity for people to cast their votes for candidates of their
choosing, but it is also an opportunity for Nigeria to solidify its
commitment to democracy. It is extremely important that the elections
to be held next year be substantially better than the presidential and
national elections that were held in 2007 and better than the
elections that were held in 2003," he said.
There is no doubt, he said, that there was a "great deal of
disappointment with the way that the last presidential elections were
held in 2007." The United States, he told the reporters, applauds the
electoral reforms that have taken place and the appointment of a new
elections commissioner who shows "great integrity ... professionalism
and independence."
Carson explained that the United States hopes the forthcoming
elections are "free, fair, transparent and reflect the aspirations and
the will of the people. It is important that that Nigerians have an
opportunity to vote," as citizens of Africa's largest democracy, he
added.
"The success of the 2011 elections could be an enormous paradigm shift
for the country," he said. "It could, in effect, signal to all of the
world that Nigeria is firmly committed to a democratic path, that its
democratic institutions are growing stronger and its commitment to
democracy is growing deeper." It is through the mechanisms of
democracy, he said, that Nigeria will be able to realize its enormous
economic and social potential.
Asked how the United States plans to further strengthen its bilateral
relationship with Nigeria, Carson said immediately following Secretary
Clinton's very successful visit to Abuja in 2009 the U.S.-Nigeria
Binational Commission was established.
"We are pleased to say today that under the leadership of President
Goodluck Jonathan and the current foreign minister that we have not
only established the ... commission this year, but we are also
actively working in the four subcommittees and working groups that
have been established," he said. Carson reminded his audience that the
United States has only three U.S. strategic binational commissions in
Africa and does not intend to establish any more in the foreseeable
future. "The three are with countries that we think are
extraordinarily important for different reasons: Nigeria; South Africa
and Angola," he said.
The establishment of the binational commission with Nigeria and other
factors that have already been detailed, he told his audience, "signal
the value that we place on this relationship. This is a valued and
important relationship and is valued and important because it is based
on democratic principles, shared values and shared attitudes."
Carson said he hopes the commission will be the source of a "growing
and more vibrant dialogue," open up even greater economic and
commercial opportunities between both countries and further strengthen
the political bilateral relationship as well.
(This is a product of the Bureau of International Information
Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://www.america.gov)
View the discussion thread.blog comments powered by Disqus
--------------------
In politics, absurdity is not a handicap.
Napoleon Bonaparte
French general & politician (1769 - 1821)
---------------------
Celebration
Charles W. Corey
29 September 2010
President Obama is sending a high-level delegation to attend Nigeria's
50th anniversary independence celebration October 1, reflecting the
high level of importance the United States places on the U.S.-Nigeria
bilateral relationship.
Looking ahead, the United States sees Nigeria's 2011 presidential
election as an event of major importance that could reflect an
enormous "paradigm shift," reaffirming Nigeria's long-term commitment
to democracy.
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson
made those points during a September 29 telephone press briefing with
Nigerian reporters based in Lagos and Abuja. Carson spoke from his
office at the State Department in Washington, just prior to leaving
for Nigeria.
Asked about the 50th anniversary celebration, Carson told the
reporters that the U.S. delegation, of which he will be a member, will
be headed by Rajiv Shah, the administrator of the U.S. Agency for
International Development (USAID), and will also include Walter C.
Jones, the U.S. executive director to the African Development Bank,
and James P. McAnulty, the chargé d'affaires at the U.S. diplomatic
mission to Nigeria.
"We are undertaking this presidential mission to Nigeria to reflect
the importance the United States attaches to its relationship to
Nigeria," Carson told his audience. "The United States regards Nigeria
as one of the two or three most important countries on the continent.
It is important in and of itself as the most populous state in Africa
and one of the largest Muslim states in the world. It is also
important to the region as the largest economy and the most dynamic
business and commercial center in West Africa."
Additionally, Carson said Nigeria is important to the global community
and West Africa because of the enormous effort that it puts into
providing regional stability by supplying peacekeepers who participate
in U.N. operations. Nigeria's "efforts in support of stability in West
Africa are widely known and widely praised because of what it did in
both Sierra Leone and Liberia and what it is doing today as part of
the peacekeeping operations in Darfur," he said.
Nigeria is also important to the United States because it is one of
the global community's major producers of oil and the fourth-largest
supplier of petroleum to the United States, he added. "We value the
important relationship with Nigeria and, as a reflection of that, I
point out that President Goodluck Jonathan was in New York last week
and had an opportunity meet with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham
Clinton."
Over the past months as well, Carson explained, President Jonathan has
had the opportunity to hold talks with President Obama. "We regard
this as an important relationship with the United States and we
believe that it is important for us to be at this 50th anniversary to
celebrate what we hope will be 50 years of looking forward to building
on the country's democratic transformation."
Asked about the upcoming presidential elections in Nigeria, Carson
said they are "extremely important" for the people of Nigeria. "It is
an opportunity for people to cast their votes for candidates of their
choosing, but it is also an opportunity for Nigeria to solidify its
commitment to democracy. It is extremely important that the elections
to be held next year be substantially better than the presidential and
national elections that were held in 2007 and better than the
elections that were held in 2003," he said.
There is no doubt, he said, that there was a "great deal of
disappointment with the way that the last presidential elections were
held in 2007." The United States, he told the reporters, applauds the
electoral reforms that have taken place and the appointment of a new
elections commissioner who shows "great integrity ... professionalism
and independence."
Carson explained that the United States hopes the forthcoming
elections are "free, fair, transparent and reflect the aspirations and
the will of the people. It is important that that Nigerians have an
opportunity to vote," as citizens of Africa's largest democracy, he
added.
"The success of the 2011 elections could be an enormous paradigm shift
for the country," he said. "It could, in effect, signal to all of the
world that Nigeria is firmly committed to a democratic path, that its
democratic institutions are growing stronger and its commitment to
democracy is growing deeper." It is through the mechanisms of
democracy, he said, that Nigeria will be able to realize its enormous
economic and social potential.
Asked how the United States plans to further strengthen its bilateral
relationship with Nigeria, Carson said immediately following Secretary
Clinton's very successful visit to Abuja in 2009 the U.S.-Nigeria
Binational Commission was established.
"We are pleased to say today that under the leadership of President
Goodluck Jonathan and the current foreign minister that we have not
only established the ... commission this year, but we are also
actively working in the four subcommittees and working groups that
have been established," he said. Carson reminded his audience that the
United States has only three U.S. strategic binational commissions in
Africa and does not intend to establish any more in the foreseeable
future. "The three are with countries that we think are
extraordinarily important for different reasons: Nigeria; South Africa
and Angola," he said.
The establishment of the binational commission with Nigeria and other
factors that have already been detailed, he told his audience, "signal
the value that we place on this relationship. This is a valued and
important relationship and is valued and important because it is based
on democratic principles, shared values and shared attitudes."
Carson said he hopes the commission will be the source of a "growing
and more vibrant dialogue," open up even greater economic and
commercial opportunities between both countries and further strengthen
the political bilateral relationship as well.
(This is a product of the Bureau of International Information
Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://www.america.gov)
View the discussion thread.blog comments powered by Disqus
--------------------
In politics, absurdity is not a handicap.
Napoleon Bonaparte
French general & politician (1769 - 1821)
---------------------
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