Bush calls for "free and fair" elections in Zimbabwe
Sunday, 17 Feb 2008 19:52
Mr and Mrs Bush arrived in Tanzania to large crowds
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US president George Bush has called for a "free and fair" election to be held in
Zimbabwe.
During his visit to Tanzania, Mr Bush said that a fair election in Zimbabwe was in everyone's interest, especially the country's people, who deserved a government that recognised their "basic human rights".
"It happens to be in the interest of the world as well," Mr Bush said at news conference.
The US president also signed a nearly $700 million (£357 million) grant to help stimulate economic growth in Tanzania.
The east
African country is deemed to be a model for progressive development and is the centre piece of Mr Bush's tour of the continent.
President Kikwete of Tanzania, and President Bush signed the $698 million Millennium Challenge Corp Compact, which is aimed at improving the country's infrastructure.
"My hope is that such an initiative will be part of an effort to transform parts of this country to become more hopeful places," the US president said.
Mr Bush is due to visit Dar es Salaam today and is expected to focus attention on an apparent growing radical Islamist threat in the Horn of Africa. The president will also meet with families of the victims of an al Qaeda attack on the US embassy on 1998.
"We're continuing to try to work with African countries to build their capacity and to build their partnership in responding to these terrorist threats," Jendayi Frazer, a US diplomat to Africa said.
"So it's not only civil conflict, but also the global war on terror that is in our vital national interest to engage African countries robustly."