Africa bright spot in Bush foreign policy legacy

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush called Africa a "continent of potential" on Thursday as he prepared to visit one of the few regions where he can claim foreign policy successes in a legacy dominated by the Iraq war.

The timing of his trip was clouded by a battle with Congress over domestic spying legislation. Bush sought to pressure Congress to pass the measure by proposing to delay his scheduled Friday departure, but said he would still visit all five countries.

The conflicts in Kenya and Darfur will intrude on the trip, which is intended to show the positive impact of U.S. investment in programs in the largely stable countries of Benin, Tanzania, Ghana, Rwanda and Liberia.

"Africa in the 21st century is a continent of potential," Bush said in a speech on Africa policy.

"Just a decade ago, much of Africa seemed to be on the brink of collapse, and much of the world seemed content to let it collapse," he said. "Today, that's changing. A new generation of African leaders is stepping forward, and turning their continent around."

It will be the second trip for Bush to Africa, and the fifth for his wife, Laura, as they promote aid programs by visiting hospitals, schools and businesses, and it will also offer Bush a chance to highlight his "compassionate conservative" credentials.

The trip will take Bush away from issues like the Iraq war and a troubled U.S. economy that are weighing on his popularity at home, where the political focus has shifted to the race to choose his successor in the November election.

Bush will discuss with African leaders the turmoil in Kenya, where post-election clashes have killed 1,000 people. He plans to send Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to Kenya with a message that there must be a full return to democracy.

He will also talk about the need to deploy more African Union/U.N. peacekeepers into Sudan's Darfur region where he has labeled the violence genocide.

The United States has been pressing the international community to get about 25,000 peacekeepers on the ground in Darfur. "I must confess, I'm a little frustrated by how slow things are moving," Bush said.

Those issues are likely to be raised with Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete, the new chairman of the African Union whom Bush called "a good guy," and whose country has been affected by spillovers from neighboring Kenya's violence.

"There is a broadening arc of crisis in East Africa in the Horn. It's very much on Tanzania's door. It is very much on the African Union's door," said Stephen Morrison, co-director of the Africa Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

FOCUS ON AID

But the focus of the trip will be aid programs started by Bush that are popular in Africa.

A Pew Global Attitudes Project report released last July found that the "U.S. image is much stronger in Africa than in other regions of the world."

"Generally Bush is viewed positively in Africa, as is the U.S.," said J. Anthony Holmes, director of the Africa program at the Council on Foreign Relations.

In his recent budget, Bush requested $30 billion over five years to fund the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR.

AIDS groups say more is needed to make progress against the disease, but PEPFAR is generally considered a success for its role in getting drugs, condoms and treatment programs to places hit hardest by the virus.

Another Bush initiative, the Millennium Challenge Corp, which provides funding to countries that adhere to democratic principles and sound economic policies, has approved $698 million for Tanzania and Bush will sign the pact there.

U.S. plans to establish a military Africa Command, or Africom, have raised some concerns on the continent, and will likely be discussed during Bush's trip, but no announcements were expected. The United States has about 1,700 troops in Djibouti.

Liberia has offered to host Africom, while regional powers like South Africa and Nigeria have been wary, and activists like singer Bono have expressed concern it could put a military face on U.S. foreign policy toward Africa.

The United States is also facing competition in Africa from China, which is investing heavily in the continent. "In Africa, China's influence is now seen as rivaling American influence," a Pew report in December said.

(Editing by David Alexander and Mohammad Zargham)