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Why does Bush drop military command headquarters plan in Africa? |
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Saturday, 23 February 2008 |
BEIJING, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) -- For the first time U.S. President George W. Bush
said recently his country would not seek to build new military bases in Africa,
nor will it set up headquarters for the command on African soil, amid
overwhelmingly strong opposition from African countries.
NO NEW MILITARY BASES IN AFRICA: BUSH
Speaking in Ghana on the fourth leg of a five-nation African tour, Bush said the
U.S. military command for Africa (Africom) created last year was intended to
help African leaders solve the continent's crises, not boost the U.S. military
presence there.
"We do not contemplate adding new bases," Bush said at a joint news conference
with Ghanan President John Kufuor.
"I know there are rumors in Ghana: 'All Bush is doing is coming to try to
convince you to put a big military base here.' That's baloney. Or, as we say in
Texas, that's bull," Bush said.
But he did not rule out the possibility of developing some kind of office
somewhere in Africa to coordinate with Africom's current headquarters in
Stuttgart, Germany, and to monitor missions implemented in Africa. "We haven't
made our minds up. This is a new concept," Bush said.
He also defended the military command which he proposed to set up last year as
"aiming to help provide military assistance to African nations, so African
nations are more capable of dealing with Africa's conflicts, like peacekeeping
training."
He cited the example of the joint African Union and UN effort in Sudan's
troubled Darfur region.
Announcing the establishment of Africom last February, Bush said the command
"will enhance our efforts to bring peace and security to the people of Africa
and promote our common goals of development, health, education, democracy and
economic growth in Africa."
AFRICAN CONCERNS
Yet, despite the rosy picture Bush has drawn for Africa, most African nations
cast doubt on Washington's real motive for establishing U.S. military presence
on the continent, and some considered the proposal "putting a Trojan horse" at
their homes.
Most Africans feel "nervous and insecure" that the U.S. military presence on
their land is, first of all, an attempt to militarize the U.S. foreign policies
in Africa under the banner of combating terrorism.
Enlarged U.S. military troops in Africa, many Africans fear, would jeopardize
African nations' own military power and their sovereignty, starting again a near
neo-colonization on the continent.
Source: XINHUA
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