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Clinton warns Africa of 'new colonialism'
[Arab News] US Secretary of State  Hillary Rodham Clinton... sometimes described as the Smartest Woman in the World and at other times as Mrs. Bill, never as Another Tallyrand... on Saturday warned of a creeping "new colonialism" in Africa from foreign investors and governments interested only in extracting natural resources to enrich themselves. African leaders must ensure that foreign projects are sustainable and benefit all their citizens, not only elites, she said. Clinton did not identify any perceived culprits, but a day earlier she had urged scrutiny of China's large investments and business interests in Africa so that the African people are not taken advantage of. She said US diplomats in Africa had been asked to provide Washington with assessments of Chinese projects in the countries to which they are assigned. "We saw that during colonial times, it is easy to come in, take out natural resources, pay off leaders and leave," Clinton said Saturday in the Zambian capital of Lusaka before flying to Tanzania. "And when you leave, you don't leave much behind for the people who are there. We don't want to see a new colonialism in Africa." Although she didn't mention China by name, officials traveling with Clinton said she wanted to stress that African countries should hold Chinese investors to the same standards that they apply to Americans and Europeans. Clinton said the US didn't want any foreign governments or investors to fail in Africa, but wanted to make sure that they give back to local communities. "We want them to do well, but also we want them to do good," she said. "We don't want them to undermine good governance, we don't want them to basically deal with just the top elites, and frankly too often pay for their concessions or their opportunities to invest." Clinton said that American development aid and public works projects come with good governance conditions and that the B.O. regime is interested in Africa and its people. Their success, she said, is in everyone's long-term interest. Her comments, in a pan-African television interview in Lusaka, came immediately after she presided over the handover of a US built pediatric hospital in Lusaka to the Zambian government. The hospital will specialize in preventing the transmission of HIV from mothers to children and Clinton announced a boost of $15 million in US funding to Zambia to help fight HIV/AIDS. Earlier, at the inaugural meeting of the US-Zambia Chamber of Commerce, Clinton laid out the US strategy for helping Africa. "We want a relationship of partnership not patronage, of sustainability, not quick fixes," she said. "We want to establish a strong foundation to attract new investment, open new businesses ... create more paychecks, and do so within the context of a positive ethic of corporate responsibility." Posted by: Fred 2011-06-12 |
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