quarta-feira, 30 de junho de 2010

Botswana, US celebrate cooperation

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Phandu Skelemani, has praised the United States for its technical and development support to Botswana especially in health, education and security areas.


Speaking at an event in Gaborone to mark the 234th anniversary of the US yesterday, Skelemani said the country has played and continues to play a significant role in the improvement of the social and economic livelihood of Batswana.
"Botswana cannot emphasise enough the incredible impact that the US government and private sector have contributed in our fight against HIV/AIDS. I am confident that the bonds of friendship and cooperation that already exists between our two countries and peoples will continue to flourish," he said.
The minister also commended the American soccer team saying it demonstrated a brilliant display of courage, determination and skill during the ongoing 2010 World Cup.
"I can assure you that the spirit of American determination and the 'never-say-die' attitude has won the US and its soccer ambassadors, worldwide acclaim and admiration.
"You may not have reached the quarterfinals but you have certainly left a footprint on the beautiful game. Congratulations to you and your team for the impressive performance," he told his audience.
For his part, US ambassador, Stephen Nolan, at whose residence the celebration was held, paid tribute to the founders of the US who believed that all men are created equal, "that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights and that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
"American revolutionaries fought to establish and defend the values of the Declaration of Independence. Those values became the vision of our new nation," he said.
Ambassador Nolan said democracy is a process. When America was founded in 1776, 2.5 million people inhabited the country. He added that the population has increased from then to 309 million and "the 13 stars on our flag have become 50," he said. The envoy hailed US President, Barack Obama, for keeping the faith of American citizens through an open, transparent and accountable government. He said though there is a lot of work to be done, Obama has done much to restore America's alliances.
The two countries, said Nolan, are also working in tandem to improve the rule of law and prevent global crime and terror through the International Law Enforcement Agency situated in Otse.
"However, nowhere is our partnership better illustrated than in our joint response to HIV/AIDS. Over the last five years we have worked with Botswana to reduce the number of deaths and provide care and treatment to those in need, providing over US$ 390 million.
"Most recently our PEPFAR team has been working closely with...Botswana, civil society organisations, other cooperating partners and the private sector to develop a new partnership framework," he said.
He said the programmes by the US government and (US) private sector and individual US citizens here reflect America's determination to build a better future for Botswana.
Still at the same event, the ambassador paid tribute to a dozen US embassy staff like Dan Saint-Rossy a media relations staffer who will be leaving the country next week after their service here. 
"While the official anniversary date is July 4th, several members of my staff will be leaving Gaborone in the next week and I wanted to ensure that they attend and be recognised, " said the diplomat.