U.S. Department of State 
96/10/03 Briefing by AS Moose on Secretary's Trip to Africa 
Office of the Spokesman 
 
 
 
                      U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE 
                      ON-THE-RECORD BRIEFING 
                               BY 
               ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR AFRICAN AFFAIRS 
                            GEORGE MOOSE 
              ON SECRETARY CHRISTOPHERāS TRIP TO AFRICA 
 
                      Thursday, October 3, 1996 
 
 
 
MR. DAVIES:  Welcome back to the State Department briefing room.  We  
have a special appearance today by Assistant Secretary of State George  
Moose to talk about the Secretary of Stateās trip next week to five  
African countries.  This is very much ON THE RECORD.  I think weāll go  
for about half an hour; and Assistant Secretary Moose would like to  
start off by talking to you a bit about the trip, and then he will take  
your questions. 
 
So over to you, sir. 
 
Q  A nice subject. 
 
ASSISTANT SECRETARY MOOSE:  Thanks very much for coming out this  
afternoon. 
 
I just wanted, perhaps, to take you through this schedule and what we  
hope to do in the next week or so. 
 
The Secretary will be arriving in Mali Monday evening, next Tuesday,  
where he hopes to, first and foremost, showcase the significant  
contribution, progress, that Mali has been making in terms of both  
democratic reform and economic reform as well as their commitment to  
reconciliation at home and its contribution to regional peacekeeping and  
stability throughout the sub-region and the region. 
 
From there, we will go to Addis Ababa.  Among many other things on that  
schedule, the Secretary will highlight the Presidentās Greater Horn of  
Africa Initiative and the effort to involve regional states as well as  
their international partners in preventive action both on conflict- 
related issues as well as natural calamities in this part of Africa,  
which has been witness to so many tragedies in the past. 
 
Also in Addis, a visit -- quite naturally -- to the headquarters of the  
Organization of African Unity, with which we have been in a partnership  
now for the last four or five years, helping them to develop their  
capacity in the areas of preventive diplomacy, peace-monitoring and  
peacekeeping. 
 
From Addis, we will fly to Arusha.  There the Secretary hopes to have  
bilateral meetings with the Presidents of Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda --  
emphasizing, first and foremost, our support for their efforts to  
resolve the ongoing crisis in Burundi; beyond that though, to lend our  
support to the efforts of the members of the East African community, to  
strengthen their economic and other cooperation.   
 
While in Arusha, the Secretary will also participate in a meeting of the  
Foreign Ministers of the states of the Great Lakes region who will be  
meeting there on the llth in preparation for a Summit meeting on the  
l2th -- again, to discuss the problems of Burundi, as well as the  
efforts to achieve a rapid repatriation of refugees to Rwanda. 
 
And last but not least, the Secretary will pay a visit to the offices of  
the Rwandan International Tribunal -- an institution and an ongoing  
effort that the United States has supported quite actively from the  
inception. 
 
From Arusha, he will fly to Johannesburg-Pretoria -- there very much to  
observe and lend our support for the remarkable transition that is  
ongoing in South Africa.  He will also on that occasion, on that stop,  
highlight his personal interest and involvement in issues of population  
and the environment -- areas where South Africa has taken a strong  
regional lead. 
 
And then lastly, we will stop in Luanda, where the Secretary will  
underscore our continuing commitment to the peace process in Angola and  
lend a personal effort to continued movement and momentum of that  
process -- particularly at this critical stage, where we are hoping to  
see this process come to closure. 
 
Throughout the trip, he will be seeking opportunities to underscore the  
continued American commitment to and engagement with Africa; our support  
in the areas of democratic institution-building, conflict prevention and  
resolution, and sustainable development.  He will, of course, both  
congratulate states on their efforts to accelerate the pace of economic  
reform and urge greater efforts to create the kind of environment that  
will attract the private sector, private investment, both domestic and  
international. 
 
I think, above all, the Secretary will stress that Africa matters to the  
United States, that it is very much in our interest to assist Africans  
in developing African solutions to a variety of problems -- very much in  
our interest to see Africa realize its enormous economic and other  
potential. 
 
He will make the point that we have been making in the last three years  
-- that we need very much strong African partners who are able to work  
with us in meeting challenges of the international community; from  
dealing with the environment to conquering narcotics-trafficking,  
international crime, disease, and population growth. 
 
And last but not least, he will stress the continuing determination of  
this Administration, this President, and his own personal commitment, to  
staying engaged on the African continent. 
 
So thatās the trip in a nutshell, and Iād be delighted to respond to  
whatever to whatever questions you may have. 
 
Q  Youāve been looking into the question of the African Crisis Response  
Force, as I understand it, and youāve visited a number of capitals and  
they assume that this will come up on the trip.  Could you give us your  
assessment of where that stands now? 
 
ASSISTANT SECRETARY MOOSE:  I think it is moving forward, and we would  
hope that it can move forward fairly expeditiously.  And I think thatās  
possible because what we are proposing here is not new.  This builds  
upon discussions that we have been having with our partners in Africa  
and in Europe now, going back some three years, and the ideas are very  
consistent with what the United Nations and the OAU have already  
proposed with regard to the designation or earmarking of military units  
for possible participation in regional and international peacekeeping.   
What we bring to this -- what we are hoping to bring to it -- is a  
notion of how to translate those broad ideas into reality and to  
concrete operational reality. There, what we have proposed is a  
partnership -- a partnership between the United States and Africaās  
other external partners, on the one hand; linking those capabilities and  
resources to the existing capacity that Africans have demonstrated in  
the areas of peacekeeping, in order to create a capacity -- a capacity  
to respond more quickly to crisis situations on the continent, whether  
they be conflict situations or humanitarian assistance or response to a  
natural disaster.  Now, obviously, what I think has motivated us and  
many others in this regard is a particular concern about the situation  
in Burundi.  And here I will simply say that we will continue, even  
redouble, our support for the diplomatic efforts that are on-going to  
try to find a political solution to Burundi.  That is the ideal.  That  
is the optimum. That is what we are all working for.  But weāre also  
aware that our diplomacy might fail.  In that event, not only are we in  
this country but we found that many in Africa as well are concerned that  
we have some means of response.  In the worst case, a humanitarian  
response to try to find some degree of protection to innocent civilians  
and to secure an environment for the delivery of humanitarian  
assistance.  So, thatās the broad notion, and obviously we need to  
continue our consultations with those in Africa and Europe.  But I will  
tell you that the response that we got on this latest trip to ten  
African countries was very favorable. 
 
Q  Two things.  One, if there were a genocide or some other unseemly  
event in Burundi, how would this Task Force -- exactly, what would it  
do?  My understanding is that it would basically create a safehaven and  
protect people not engaged in fighting. 
 
The other question is, do you have any commitments yet for funding --  
specific commitments for funding this operation?  And when is the  
earliest that it could be operational? 
 
ASSISTANT SECRETARY MOOSE:  The notion -- and it is a notion -- the  
notional concept of how this force, this capacity, might be  
deployed/employed in Burundi, is indeed on a strictly humanitarian  
mission.  It would be to try to provide zones within the borders of  
Burundi where civilians could be protected and where the necessary  
humanitarian assistance could be provided to them. 
 
It would be a limited mission in the sense that itās not intended that  
this kind of a force would have the capability to impose a peace on  
warring factions.  It would not have the ability to go in and separate  
forces.  What it would do is, at least, afford some degree of haven for  
innocent civilians. 
 
We recognize that this is a concept that would have to be further  
refined and, indeed, would have to be further defined at the moment when  
we have to make a decision as to whether or not it would be deployed. 
 
Let me emphasize here that we envisage that such a force would have to  
be authorized by the U.N. Security Council, and that it would have to be  
financed in the same way that other international operations would be  
financed. 
 
Your second question had to do with -- 
 
Q   Have you gotten any specific financial commitments? 
 
ASSISTANT SECRETARY MOOSE:  We have our own financial commitment.   
Before we went on the road, we wanted to make certain that we could  
honor whatever part of this we would have to shoulder.  We do have that  
in-hand. 
 
Q How is that? 
 
ASSISTANT SECRETARY MOOSE:  We have said that we would pay for -- I  
guess I have to be a little more specific here -- for the cost of the  
training, supplemental equipment; that is, the training and exercising  
of the various contributing African forces in order to get them to the  
point where they are capable of operating together.  That estimate is  
roughly in the range of 25-to-40 million dollars.  We have said that we  
would pay ćour fair share of that.ä  You can use whatever rule of thumb  
you want, but I think you can get a sense of what that would be. 
 
Thereafter, again, once the force is deployed, the costs, in our view,  
should be borne by the normal assessed contributions in the U.N.  
Security Council. 
 
Q Would there be a standing U.S. military force or commitment? 
 
ASSISTANT SECRETARY MOOSE:  No. 
 
Q  A training cadre, for example? 
 
ASSISTANT SECRETARY MOOSE:  No.  No standing force, either American or  
African.  Iām not the military expert, and perhaps at some future stage,  
when we are further along, we can do this.  What weāre talking about is  
building on practices which we have employed elsewhere in the world,  
whether itās in Europe or in Latin America. 
 
The notion is that you build capacity.  You build capacity into the  
existing elements of the armed forces of those countries that wish to  
participate.  That capacity is in the form of training and maybe in the  
form of training and maybe in the form of supplemental equipment so that  
they have the wherewithal to carry out these operations. 
 
I think the key here is the training and exercises that enables them to  
operate effectively together.  What we have encountered in the past is a  
rather long lead time in identifying units, of preparing them -- whether  
in terms of equipment and other preparation -- of getting them to the  
location.  Once theyāre there, the serious weakness of their having no  
prior experience of operating and working together.  That is the  
capacity that we would hope to help contributing African armed forces  
units to develop. 
 
Itās the same kind of concept that weāve used in NATO, in P-for-P now,  
the development of Baltic battalion in Bosnia, and in our exercises in  
Latin America. 
 
Q  I thought the original theory was because you were having trouble  
trying to organize this within the U.N. structure, that your initiative  
was going to be totally outside the U.N.? 
 
ASSISTANT SECRETARY MOOSE:  No, at all the case.  On the contrary, what  
we were trying to do is give some greater substance to what the U.N. has  
already done.  The U.N. has had stand-by forces arrangement, which is  
essentially, at the moment, an inventory.  It is a list of those  
countries that are willing to participate in principle; in particular,  
peacekeeping or humanitarian assistance operations. 
 
What that inventory does not do, however, is actually build capability.   
It does not provide the training and the equipment and expertise in  
order for these forces to know how to operate together.  That is what we  
are hoping to bring to this. 
 
Let me say, again, itās also very consistent with the decisions that the  
OAU itself took a year ago in Addis regarding the earmarking of  
particular units for participation, or possible participation in  
regional and international peace efforts. 
 
Let me move on because others do have questions here. 
 
Q  On the political situation in Burundi, are you still having the  
former President, Ntibantunganya -- for how long are you going to keep  
him in your embassy there?  
 
Also, if you accepted Buyoya's condition, that he allows the parliament  
to sit again and the political party to work but heās still refusing to  
reinstate the former President, what is your position on all those  
issues? 
 
ASSISTANT SECRETARY MOOSE:  As you know, President Ntibantunganya has  
been a guest in our Ambassadorās residence now since the 25th of July.   
He has expressed a strong desire to leave.  We have strongly supported  
his desire to leave.  That is the position that we have taken with Mr.  
Buyoya and others in Bujumbura. 
 
Q  To come here, or to live for -- 
 
ASSISTANT SECRETARY MOOSE:  Where he goes once he leaves Burundi is, of  
course, a matter of his decision. 
 
On the larger issue, we have strongly supported the initiatives of the  
regional leaders under former President Nyerereās direction to try to  
bring about a political solution to the crisis in Burundi.  That  
predates the coup that continues now. 
 
We are of one mind with the leaders of the sub-region about what needs  
to happen.  In particular, the need of both those in Bujumbura and the  
rebels in the countryside to commit to a process of negotiation -- a  
meaningful process of negotiation.  That, I think, is an essential  
understanding/undertaking for any progress on the political front. 
 
We have also supported the use of sanctions and other pressures to  
reinforce our expectations as to what is needed in order to make that  
happen.  I think weāre also agreed that to the extent that Mr. Buyoya  
responds positively and constructively to what we are urging him to do,  
there needs to be some acknowledgment, some recognition of that fact. 
 
The announcements he made some two weeks ago were promising, but they  
certainly donāt go far enough in terms of meeting what we and others  
regard as the requirements for moving the crisis from the current very  
volatile state towards negotiations. 
 
I think itās important, though, that we keep in mind that there are  
other parties that must be involved here, and we need to insure that  
they understand our expectations; that they, too, have an obligation to  
do what is necessary for peace. 
 
Q  Thereās a report today that Dr. Jonas Savimbi didnāt show up for a  
meeting in Luanda with the other heads of state of southern Africa.   
What will the Secretary actually -- what will he want to achieve with  
his visit there?  You mentioned that, obviously, the peace process  
there, but is there any pressure you will put to bear on Dr. Savimbi to  
maybe look at the situation differently from what he does at the moment? 
 
ASSISTANT SECRETARY MOOSE:  First and foremost, we regret very much that  
Dr. Savimbi did not take up the offer, the invitation, by the SADC heads  
of state to participate in their conference in Luanda today.  I think,  
frankly, that he missed an opportunity. 
 
By the same token, we remain committed to doing whatever we can to keep  
this negotiating process -- this implementation process on track.  We  
would argue strongly that too much has been accomplished here to reverse  
now this process or to abandon it; and more to the point, we think that  
the parties themselves have invested too much in it for it to be  
abandoned at this stage. 
 
The Secretary, obviously, will have to see closer to the event what the  
situation is.  The Secretary has expressed his hope of seeing Dr.  
Savimbi in Luanda on this visit.  We would think that that would present  
an opportunity, to the extent that UNITA has concerns, for those  
concerns to be presented and aired. 
 
But our main objective here remains that both the government and UNITA  
continue the implementation of the process, and that UNITA, particularly  
in the current circumstances, honor the commitments that it has made  
regarding the specific provisions of the Lusaka protocol. 
 
Q  Let me follow up on Angola.  Have you not heard then from Savimbi  
about whether he will meet with the Secretary, and why not?  And,  
secondly, the visit is only a matter of three or four hours.  What can  
the Secretary really hope to do in that short a period? 
 
ASSISTANT SECRETARY MOOSE:  The answer to your first question is we do  
not yet have a definitive answer to the Secretaryās expressed hope to  
see Dr. Savimbi in Luanda.   
 
On the second, I think there was much that the Secretary can do, not  
least lending his personal support to the process, underscoring to those  
doubters that we believe that there must be a continuing commitment on  
both sides to the implementation of the peace agreement, underscoring  
the need for both patience and some courage, if you will, on both sides  
in order to go ahead with these very difficult next steps. 
 
I think we all recognize that this is going to be a critical phase in  
this process.  This is the phase at which everything now has to come  
together; the completion of the quartering and the start of  
demobilization, the integration of the army, and not least the formation  
of a government of national unity.  That is an awful lot to accomplish  
in a short period of time. 
 
Weāre not here to try to make scapegoats or blame anybody.  What we want  
is to try to deal with whatever real concerns or problems are there in  
order to get people to continue to move forward. 
 
Q  My question is, so far it seems like the U.S. tried to be in Africa  
to try to resolve some kind of problem that seemed like a humanitarian  
issue.  And we tried -- we just forgot the rest of the bilateral  
investment point -- the development point, because when we hear about in  
Africa, this is just about the humanitarian thing -- the war, civil war  
-- and itās always the same thing.  Never changed.  Okay.  Thereās many  
countries in Africa who are more development programmed, and what can --  
(inaudible) like a commitment the U.S. tried to have with both countries  
and to develop a real (inaudible) in order to bring some investment and  
to develop these country, because we just want to be able to  
(inaudible).  I mean, which politic -- investment politic the U.S. wants  
to bring in Africa, and for -- just forget a little bit the humanitarian  
politics the U.S. tried to promote, because that -- I mean, that is  
going to resolve what (inaudible) because the people who promote some  
kind of civil war, something like this, are still there.  They never  
change, and itās something like the problem -- we tried to resolve the  
problem and in a few months the same problem came up. 
 
It seems like Africa will stay in this same -- I mean, it wonāt go away  
and itās going to stay there, and something we can say like we change  
these politics (inaudible).  The people have an idea about this  
continent like itās (inaudible) -- I mean -- 
 
ASSISTANT SECRETARY MOOSE:  I donāt want to cut you off, but I think I  
understand. 
 
Q  Okay, so just what I am going to ask you, so what kind of political - 
- the program about the investment with some kind of -- Francophone  
countries or Anglophone countries -- but what are you going to do  
exactly for this trip or for Secretary of State Department?  So just  
brief a little bit about (inaudible) in that area. 
 
ASSISTANT SECRETARY MOOSE:  First and foremost, let me say Iām extremely  
sympathetic to the concern that you expressed, because I think one of  
the key reasons that Secretary Christopher wants to make this trip is to  
spotlight, to highlight the fact that notwithstanding all of the  
difficult problems that we know exist on the continent, that tremendous  
progress has been made, is being made across the continent. 
 
He very much intends to echo the message that Secretary Brown took with  
him on his mission to Africa in February.  He is very much committed to  
insuring that the work that Secretary Brown began, not just on that trip  
but before, continues.  And that message was that the progress that has  
been made, both in democratic reform and in economic reform, has created  
new opportunities for the private sector, both African and  
international, to now build new growth development progress, sustainable  
development in Africa. 
 
To highlight the fact, which I think many donāt know, that over the last  
two years, Africa has gone from negative growth to positive growth of  
three percent or greater in more than 30 countries on the continent, and  
that is a reflection of the progress that has been achieved.  Itās also  
a reflection of the opportunities that are being created for African  
entrepreneurs but also for American businesses as well. 
 
So that is very much a part of his concern of what he hopes to stress,  
underscore in the course of this trip, and to bring that message back  
here to Washington, to the United States, to those who donāt know that  
reality or may be skeptical about that potential, and to use that in  
ways that will hopefully help us sustain the level of our engagement in  
Africa, so that we can continue to contribute the realization of that  
vision.  That really is the gist -- is the fundamental, the heart of his  
interest, concern and reason for this visit. 
 
I will say to you, frankly, that part of the reason we get so hung up  
and focused on conflict is precisely that many -- not only in the  
journalistic community but elsewhere -- are very much concerned about,  
rightly so -- about conflicts and their potential to overwhelm the  
progress that otherwise is being made. 
 
Q  What will be the next travel for the President of the United States  
in Africa? 
 
ASSISTANT SECRETARY MOOSE:  Iām speaking to you now about the trip of  
the Secretary of State, and Iāll have to leave that to somebody else. 
 
Q  (In French with no interpretation) 
 
ASSISTANT SECRETARY MOOSE:  (In French with no interpretation) 
 
Q  (In French with no interpretation) 
 
ASSISTANT SECRETARY MOOSE:  (In French with no interpretation) 
 
Q  (In French with no interpretation) 
 
ASSISTANT SECRETARY MOOSE:  (In French with no interpretation) 
 
Q  Journalists based in New York have made today a statement criticizing  
the Secretary of Stateās trip in Ethiopia, because a lot of journalists  
are in jail there.  Do you have any comment on that? 
 
ASSISTANT SECRETARY MOOSE:  We continue to have a very frank dialogue  
with the Government of Ethiopia about the consolidation of Ethiopiaās  
democratic transition and as we do with a number of other countries  
around the world.  We have used that dialogue to bring to the attention  
of Ethiopian authorities those preoccupations that we in this country --  
we, the Government of United States, we, the people of the United States  
-- have about certain practices and policies.  The issue of journalistic  
freedom has been one of the continuing issues in that dialogue. 
 
One last question. 
 
Q  Mr. Moose, will the Secretary be recruiting a new Secretary General  
for the U.N. on this trip, since Africa wants to have another African,  
if not Mr. Boutros-Ghali? 
 
ASSISTANT SECRETARY MOOSE:  The Secretary certainly will be repeating  
what we have said many times from this podium and others about our hope  
and desire to see new leadership in the United Nations.  I think that  
that message has particular importance for Africa, because nowhere in  
the world is the United Nations more important, either in terms of its  
international security mission or in terms of its developmental mission. 
 
Certainly, he will carry that message, as well as the hope that we can  
all collectively now begin a process of consultation that will lead us  
to a decision on the individual who is best able to lead our  
organization, the United Nations, into the 21 century.  Thank you very  
much. 
 
(The briefing concluded at 4:10 p.m.)