Africa bright spot in Bush foreign policy legacy

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bushtravels this week to Africa, one of the few regions where hecan claim globally recognized successes for efforts on AIDS anddevelopment in a foreign policy legacy dominated by the Iraqwar.

But conflicts in Kenya and Darfur will intrude on a tripintended to show the positive impact from U.S. investment inhealth and development programs in the largely stable countriesof Benin, Tanzania, and Ghana as well as Rwanda and Liberia,once ravaged by civil war.

"The trip will be an opportunity to demonstrate America'scommitment to the people of these countries and to Africa as awhole," Stephen Hadley, White House national security adviser,said. "There's more hope in Africa and the American people canbe proud that many of our innovative programs are making a realdifference."

The February 15-21 trip will be the second for Bush toAfrica, and the fifth for his wife, Laura, as they promote aidprograms by visiting hospitals, schools and businesses, and itwill also offer Bush a chance to highlight his "compassionateconservative" credentials.

The trip will take Bush away from issues like the Iraq warand a troubled U.S. economy that are weighing on his popularityat home, where the November election has shifted the politicalfocus to the race to choose his successor.

Bush will discuss with African leaders the turmoil inKenya, where post-election clashes have killed 1,000 people,and the need to deploy more African Union/U.N. peacekeepersinto Darfur where he has labelled the violence genocide.

The United States has been pressing the internationalcommunity to get about 25,000 peacekeepers on the ground inDarfur and Bush has complained progress has been too slow.

Those issues are likely to be raised with TanzanianPresident Jakaya Kikwete, the new chairman of the AfricanUnion, and whose country has been affected by spillovers fromneighboring Kenya's violence.

"There is a broadening arc of crisis in East Africa in theHorn. It's very much on Tanzania's door. It is very much on theAfrican Union's door," said Stephen Morrison, co-director ofthe Africa Program at the Centre for Strategic andInternational Studies.

FOCUS ON AID

But the focus of the trip will be aid programs started byBush that are popular in Africa.

A Pew Global Attitudes Project report released last July,found that the "U.S. image is much stronger in Africa than inother regions of the world."

"Generally Bush is viewed positively in Africa, as is theU.S.," said J. Anthony Holmes, director of the Africa programat the Council on Foreign Relations.

In his recent budget, Bush requested $30 billion over fiveyears to fund the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief,or PEPFAR. AIDS groups say more is needed to make progressagainst the disease, but PEPFAR is generally considered asuccess for its role in getting drugs, condoms and treatmentprograms to places hit hardest by the virus.

Another Bush initiative, the Millennium Challenge Corp,which provides funding to countries that adhere to democraticprinciples and sound economic policies, has approved $698million for Tanzania and Bush will sign the pact there.

U.S. plans to establish a military Africa Command, orAfricom, has raised some concerns on the continent, and willlikely be discussed during Bush's trip, but no announcementswere expected. The United States currently has about 1,700troops in Djibouti.

Liberia has offered to host Africom, while regional powerslike South Africa and Nigeria have been wary, and activistslike rock singer Bono have expressed concern it could put amilitary face on U.S. foreign policy toward Africa.

The United States is also facing competition in Africa fromChina, which is investing heavily in the continent. "In Africa,China's influence is now seen as rivaling American influence,"a Pew report in December said.

"We think countries need to be responsible in theiractivities, in terms of investing and acquiring the resourcesin Africa," Hadley said.

(Editing by Peter Cooney)