Powell ends first leg of African tour

Democracy, poverty reduction and enhanced research on malaria, HIV and other infectious diseases were among the main issues US Secretary of State Colin Powell discussed with his hosts during a one-day visit in Mali. Powell said Washington was committed to strengthening democracy in Mali, which has been a “leader in promoting democratic principles and respect for human rights” in the 10 years since demonstrators booted its last military leader out of power. The US government plans to provide technical and logistical aid worth US $750,000 for presidential elections due next year in Mali if the US Congress approves the package, Powell said after a meeting with President Alpha Oumar Konare. He also called on civil society and the opposition to continue to play a role in the political arena. Education, in particular primary schooling, and the African Growth and Opportunity Act, for which Mali qualifies, will constitute two of the axes of US efforts to reduce poverty and ultimately promote growth, Powell said. The act aims to strengthen trade with Sub-Saharan Africa by providing duty-free access to US markets for African countries that open up theirs. The US is also to increase funding and cooperation for the Malaria Research Centre at the University of Mali, where Malian and US researchers have been working on drugs against malaria, HIV and infectious diseases, the US official said. Powell, who is on his first African tour as secretary of state, left Bamako on Thursday for South Africa. He is also expected in Uganda and Kenya.