US President George W. Bush said yesterday that his administration was actively engaged in resolving turmoil in Africa even though he is skipping conflict-ridden areas on his five-nation trip to the continent.
In a news conference with Benin President Boni Yayi, Bush defended his decision to visit the western African nation, plus Tanzania, Rwanda, Ghana and Liberia. He said the many conflicts now roiling nearly every corner of Africa were not the main emphasis of his trip, which is meant to highlight success stories.
"When you herald success, it helps others realize what is possible," Bush said.
"This is a large place with a lot of nations and no question not everything is perfect. On the other hand, there are a lot of great success stories and the United States is pleased to be involved with those success stories," Bush said.
He mentioned US efforts in Kenya, which US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will visit tomorrow, and Sudan's Darfur region.
He called for a power sharing agreement in Kenya to end the post-election conflict that has killed 1,000 people in the East African state.
"In terms of Condi's visit, the key is that the leaders hear from her firsthand that the United States desires to see that there be no violence and that there be a power sharing agreement that will help this nation resolve its difficulties," Bush said.
The US president said he "had a tough decision early on as to whether to send troops to Darfur.''
He said his decision was guided in part by recommendations from groups working in Darfur, which he did not identify.
He said he hopes to shine a spotlight on the need to speed up the deployment of a joint African Union-UN peacekeeping force to Darfur while in Rwanda on Tuesday. Bush intends to thank Rwandans for contributing the largest contingent of troops so far to that mission.
Bush said he would address the continent's turmoil in meetings with the leaders he sees.
"These meetings give me an opportunity to talk about ways forward in trouble spots," he said.
Bush said he thought it would send a strong message for Rice to go to Kenya to give her views.
"The key is that the leaders hear from her firsthand US desires to see that there be no violence, that there be a power-sharing agreement that will help this nation resolve its difficulties," he said.
SLOW-MOVING STORM: The typhoon has started moving north, but at a very slow pace, adding uncertainty to the extent of its impact on the nation Work and classes have been canceled across the nation today because of Typhoon Krathon, with residents in the south advised to brace for winds that could reach force 17 on the Beaufort scale as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) forecast that the storm would make landfall there. Force 17 wind with speeds of 56.1 to 61.2 meters per second, the highest number on the Beaufort scale, rarely occur and could cause serious damage. Krathon could be the second typhoon to land in southwestern Taiwan, following typhoon Elsie in 1996, CWA records showed. As of 8pm yesterday, the typhoon’s center was 180km
TYPHOON DAY: Taitung, Pingtung, Tainan, Chiayi, Hualien and Kaohsiung canceled work and classes today. The storm is to start moving north this afternoon The outer rim of Typhoon Krathon made landfall in Taitung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島) at about noon yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, adding that the eye of the storm was expected to hit land tomorrow. The CWA at 2:30pm yesterday issued a land alert for Krathon after issuing a sea alert on Sunday. It also expanded the scope of the sea alert to include waters north of Taiwan Strait, in addition to its south, from the Bashi Channel to the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島). As of 6pm yesterday, the typhoon’s center was 160km south of
STILL DANGEROUS: The typhoon was expected to weaken, but it would still maintain its structure, with high winds and heavy rain, the weather agency said One person had died amid heavy winds and rain brought by Typhoon Krathon, while 70 were injured and two people were unaccounted for, the Central Emergency Operation Center said yesterday, while work and classes have been canceled nationwide today for the second day. The Hualien County Fire Department said that a man in his 70s had fallen to his death at about 11am on Tuesday while trimming a tree at his home in Shoufeng Township (壽豐). Meanwhile, the Yunlin County Fire Department received a report of a person falling into the sea at about 1pm on Tuesday, but had to suspend search-and-rescue
RULES BROKEN: The MAC warned Chinese not to say anything that would be harmful to the autonomous status of Taiwan or undermine its sovereignty A Chinese couple accused of disrupting a pro-democracy event in Taipei organized by Hong Kong residents has been deported, the National Immigration Agency said in a statement yesterday afternoon. A Chinese man, surnamed Yao (姚), and his wife were escorted by immigration officials to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, where they boarded a flight to China before noon yesterday, the agency said. The agency said that it had annulled the couple’s entry permits, citing alleged contraventions of the Regulations Governing the Approval of Entry of People of the Mainland Area into the Taiwan Area (大陸地區人民進入台灣地區許可辦法). The couple applied to visit a family member in
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