Namibia is fortunate enough to be spared by US president George Bush’s African visit next month as this will be the most security-conscious presi-dential visit of all times. Countries like Botswana and South Africa will have to fear bomb blasts and Al Queida attacks during this ordeal. After decades of disastrous examples of US-Africa politics like the assassination of Congolese Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba, in which allegedly Namibia’s new "friend", US diamantaire for De Beers, Maurice Tempelsman, is said to have been linked, after endless billions of US dollars were spent on the perpetually greedy Mobuto Sese Seko and tons of weapons and more millions of US dollars from Washington where showered on Angola’s Jonas Savimbi and Unita, while at the same time buying Angolan oil, Africa must be weary what the Americans want this time round:more natural resources in return for free Aids drugs? Another military airfield like near Molepolole in Botswana? A good guess is their new Pandora’s Box: gene-modified food production to curb hunger and poverty

President Bush’s visit to Africa sends a strong signal that America supports
nations making genuine efforts at political and economic reform and is
deadly serious about helping them battle the twin scourges of HIV/AIDS and
terrorism, according to the US government. After cancelling a trip to Africa in January due to the crisis in Iraq, the White House now announced that Bush would travel to Senegal, South Africa, Botswana, Uganda and Nigeria from 7 to 12 July 8. In Abuja, Nigeria he plans to address the sixth biennial Leon H. Sullivan Summit (formerly known as the African-African American Summit) that is expected to attract over 5 000 participants from the US. According to the White House, "this visit highlights the Bush administration’s commitment to working toward a free, prosperous, and peaceful Africa," where a sizable portion of two development programs worth a potential U$ 25,000 million - the Millennium Challenge Account and the HIV/AIDS Initiative — will help the continent cope with disease and longstanding development problems.

A retired diplomat, Ambassador Lyman, who served as US envoy in Pretoria from 1992-1995, told the Washington File, he guessed that turmoil in Zimbabwe, caused by President Robert Mugabe’s "misrule and mis-management of the economy", would be a prime talking point for President Bush during discussions with officials in Pretoria. "In terms of regional stability, the most important point between the United States and South Africa has to be Zimbabwe, because nobody has more influence econo-mically over Zimbabwe than South Africa," he said. "Getting a better sense of how we can work together on that (Zimbabwe) is very important."

Presently the Corporate Council on Africa (CCA) is holding a four-day business summit in Washington this week, attended by 15 African heads of state. President Bush is expected to address the conference before leaving on his trip. A Namibian delegation lead by foreign affairs minister Hidipo Hamutenya and trade minister Jesaya Nyamu is also attending the conference.