Powell

WASHINGTON, Sept 1 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell faces a delicate mission at the Earth Summit this week in trying to convince delegates of U.S. commitment to sustainable development, despite President George W. Bush's absence at the parley.

Powell, who leaves the U.S. capital late Monday, September 2, 2002, will address the Johannesburg forum early Wednesday, with about a hundred heads of state and government listening to his every word, news agencies reported.

President Bush was urged to no avail by world leaders to attend the summit aimed at developing the world’s economies while safeguarding the environment and resources.

The top U.S. diplomat will continue his Africa tour Thursday in Angola, where he will discuss ways of restoring durable peace in the war-torn country and reconstructing its shattered economy.

The same day he will travel to Gabon for talks on protecting equatorial rainforest being depleted by logging companies.

But his stop in Johannesburg, where he will also hold talks with various world leaders on the sidelines of the summit, is considered by far the most difficult, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.

These discussion could focus on Iraq as Washington steps up its bellicose rhetoric against the regime of Saddam Hussein as well as on the situation in Zimbabwe, where the United States is seeking to isolate President Robert Mugabe.

Before embarking on his Africa tour, Powell moved to rebut criticism leveled by those who believe that Bush's absence at the Johannesburg summit is evidence of a lack of interest in Africa and development issues on the part of the United States.

Bush has been condemned throughout his tenure for his lack of support for several internationally accepted policies focused on saving the environment and sustaining developing countries.

There has also been a lobby in the U.S., headed by famed rock musician and activist Bono, to force the U.S. to cut aid to Israel and Egypt - the two largest recipients of U.S. aid - in favor of helping underdeveloped countries in Africa.

U.S. aid to all African nations combined adds up to less than the aid provided to Israel and Egypt.

"The president has done a lot with respect to our Africa agenda since he came into office," said the secretary of state on the Voice of America, reminding the audience that Bush had scheduled a visit to the continent for early 2003.

He said the president had launched a new initiative to combat the AIDS epidemic as well as malaria and tuberculosis, and called for a 50-percent increase in U.S. assistance to nations in greatest need as long as they are committed to good governance, ending corruption and the rule of law.

"These are the acts of a president who is committed, these are the acts of a president who wants to help Africa and other areas of the world where there are people in need," Powell stressed.

Meanwhile, Undersecretary of State Paula Dobriansky said in Johannesburg on Thursday that the United States was "the world's leader in sustainable development."

Washington also hopes to use its presence at the forum show that specific development projects carried out by both the private and public sectors are more effective that development plans formulated in general terms, according to a US diplomat.

The Bush Administration announced 4.5 billion dollars in development aid ahead of the summit.

But the importance of the announcement was diminished by the fact that it contained largely confirmations of already granted credits and previously disclosed assistance programs.

Moreover, the money will be disbursed over many years as it is designed to finance long-term projects.

U.S. officials are also concerned that the United States, which is known as the world's chief polluter, could come under fire for its refusal to ratify the 1997 Kyoto Protocol on global warming, a decision that has caused an outcry around the world.

In Angola, Powell will meet with President Jose Eduardo dos Santos as well as members of a joint commission, which is trying, under United Nations auspices, to achieve a lasting reconciliation between the government and the rebel group UNITA.

He said he was going to Angola to lend support to this reconciliation effort and find a way to "take advantage of the riches available to it in the form of petroleum reserves and now use those riches to benefit all the people of Angola as they reconstruct their nation and their society.".

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