- Title: SOUTH AFRICA: U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE COLIN POWELL ON TOUR OF AFRICA
- Date: 25th May 2001
- Summary: (U4) PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA (MAY 25, 2001) (REUTERS) 1. SV COLIN POWELL, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE AND NKOSAZANA DLAMINI ZUMA SOUTH AFRICAN FOREIGN MINISTER ARRIVING AT MEETING 0.20 2. MCU (English) POWELL, SAYING "Over the last several years the United States has doubled it's commitment to fighting this problem with our funds. I would like to see even more go to the struggle and in the future I think we will make the case to congress that we should continue to increase funding for HIV/AIDS work. There is also a great deal of money being spent by our department of health and human services for the most part within the United States looking for a cure through the national institutes of health." 0.51 3. SV MEDIA/PHOTOGRAPHERS WATCHING 0.57 4. MCU OFFICIALS AT MEETING 1.06 5. MCU (English) POWELL, SAYING "Both of us see the problem in the same way in that action has to be taken both on the economic front and on the political front to stabilise the situation and to persuade Mr. Mugabe to move in a more democratic fashion towards a resolution of the problems within Zimbabwe." 1.23 (U4) SOWETO, SOUTH AFRICA (MAY 25, 2001) (REUTERS) 6. SLV PULL IN SV OF WOMEN DANCING/SINGING 1.32 7. SV OF POWELL ARRIVING 1.35 8. SLV OFFICIALS/SV POWELL SINGING AND DANCING WITH WOMEN (2 SHOTS) 1.49 9. MCU OFFICIALS 1.52 10. SV POWELL ENTERING CLINIC 2.08 11. SLV POLICE CAR 2.13 12. SV SECURITY AND ONLOOKERS 2.17 13. SV POWELL LEAVING CLINIC 2.31 14. MCU POWELL IN FRONT OF MICROPHONE 2.35 15. MCU (English) POWELL, SAYING "It is also well understood here and I come away with a strong understanding of the need for economic development. You have to give people who are suffering with this disease hope that they still have a roll to play in society. That they can still contribute to this society. That they are still deserving of all that society has to offer. So I would like to thank all of the dedicated workers here, people who have done so much for their fellow South Africans in Soweto and for all others who are working on this problem throughout South Africa and the world." 3.10 16. SLV MEDIA 3.22 17. MCU/SLV POWELL POSING WITH TWO LITTLE BOYS (2 SHOTS) 3.34 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 9th June 2001 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: PRETORIA AND SOWETO, SOUTH AFRICA
- Country: South Africa
- Reuters ID: LVA2F9YURNZ1UCWY0P1737BTVZCL
- Story Text: On a tour of Africa Colin Powell, the first
African-American U.S. Secretary of State, has called for
action to prevent a political crisis in Zimbabwe from spilling
over into neighbouring South Africa.
Visiting South Africa on the second stop of a
four-nation trip on Friday (May 25), U.S. Secretary of State
Colin Powell discussed regional conflicts with Foreign
Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma and criticised Zimbabwe's
President Robert Mugabe.
"Action has to be taken both on the economic front and on
the political front to stabilise the situation and to persuade
Mr. Mugabe to move in a more democratic fashion towards a
resolution of the problems within Zimbabwe," Powell told
reporters after the talks with Zuma.
Zuma voiced fears about Zimbabwe, South Africa's largest
African trading partner saying that she viewed the situation
in Zimbabwe as very critical and was very worried both as
neighbours and as people who do a lot of trade with Zimbabwe.
Zuma said South Africa would meet Zimbabwe soon to make
suggestions to them on how they should work together.
In a crisis that has led to several deaths and paralysed
the economy, Mugabe has targeted more than 3,000 white-owned
farms as part of his plan to redistribute land he says was
stolen by British settlers and colonialists more than a
century ago.
Land seizures have been accompanied by killings of white
farmers and opposition supporters, widespread violence and a
fall-off in output at many major commercial farms since the
land reform programme began last year.
South African President Thabo Mbeki has been widely
criticised for not speaking out loudly against Mugabe's
actions.
Mugabe plans to confiscate five million hectares (11
million acres) of the 12 million hectares held by white
farmers. He says white farmers own 70 percent of the best land
and should only be compensated for improvements, not the land.
Mugabe's supporters, led by self-styled veterans of the
1970s independence war, have occupied hundreds of white farms
since February 2000 and defied court orders to evict them.
Later on Friday, Powell visited HIV/AIDS patients in the
sprawling township of Soweto outside Johannesburg, where HIV
positive women told him their stories.
"It is also well understood here and I come away with a
strong understanding of the need for economic development. You
have to give people who are suffering with this disease hope
that they still have a roll to play in society and that they
can still contribute to this society," Powell told the
patients.
AIDS and regional conflicts are the two main themes of
Powell's tour, which started in Mali on Wednesday and
continues on to Kenya and Uganda in East Africa.
South Africa has more than four million HIV positive
people, more than any other country in the world. Among
adults, the infection rate is about 20 percent, expected to
rise to 25 percent unless there are big changes in individual
behaviour.
South Africa's population is just over 40 million.
Powell said he would urge Congress to do more to fund the
fight against HIV/AIDS in Africa, the world's poorest
continent.
U.S. officials travelling with Powell, in implicit
criticism of Mbeki, said on Thursday African leaders had to
speak out about preventive measures.
Mbeki has taken an unorthodox attitude towards the
epidemic, disputing at one stage the accepted explanation of
the cause and then keeping quiet on the subject.
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