| Botswana: Africom Commander Meets Govt Leaders |
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| Written by Tshireletso Motlogelwa | ||||||||||||||||||
| Tuesday, 04 December 2007 | ||||||||||||||||||
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The United States (US) commander of the African Command, General William E. Ward met with government officials among them the Minister of Justice and Defence, Phandu Skelemani and Botswana Defence Force (BDF) chiefs in Gaborone yesterday in what he called consultative meetings.
Ward told a news conference held at the US Embassy that he is in the country to continue on building relationships and understanding regarding the establishment of the controversial African Command Centre. The Botswana trip is part of the continent-wide tour which includes US allies such as Cameroon, Ethiopia, and Gabon. However, Ward said no African government had yet agreed to host the command centre. Ward said the Command Centre would strengthen Washington's present efforts in the continent. "We see this as an initiative that would coordinate, streamline and enhance the efforts that we are already engaged in. It won't be anything new but it would only help to put Africa's concerns up on the list of priorities than before when the continent did not have a dedicated command centre," he added. When introducing Ward, US Ambassador Katherine Canavan expressed pleasure that the commander had a chance to meet with the local media. Answering questions, Ward said he had been spending time "dispelling myths and fears" about Africom around the continent, stressing that the initiative was not aimed at increased militarisation of US-Africa relations. Ward's trip included initial consultations with the Addis Ababa based African Union (AU) where some African leaders had shown enthusiasm and interest. Africom has been shrouded in controversies ever since President George W. Bush announced plans for its formation early this year. The idea has received fierce opposition from some African countries among them South Africa, Libya and Morocco and commentators who see it as a renewed imperialist strategy to counter China's latest diplomatic and economic thrust in Africa.
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Letter dated Nov. 30'07 from the Legal Adviser to the President of Eritrea to the president of the UNSC
From `legal nonsense� to `legal fiction�.

With effect from midnight tonight (30.11.2007), the demarcation of Ethio-Eritrean boundary will be as complete as any demarcated interstate boundary would be, if not better defined.