The Clinton administration supports this push toward democracy and a market economy in Zaire and throughout central Africa. We are advocating a substantial trade and investment initiative that would support African countries that put their economic houses in order, by giving them greater access to the U.S. market. In fact, at the next summit of the Group of Seven countries in Denver in June, such initiatives will be on the agenda. I believe there’s a very healthy and important interest in the whol e region now.
I was struck in my recent conversations with other African leaders - presidents Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe and Benjamin Mkapa of Tanzania - by their commitment to market economics. Each expressed a strong belief that their countries would only prosper by embracing a free-market economy. None of this means that the United States can drop bilateral or multilateral assistance to the countries of sub-Saharan Africa. There are too many pressing humanitarian, environmental and health-related issues to give up now. But I believe that our development aid can be done best in partnership with the private sector. We need a three-pronged strategy, working with the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, as well as with other donor countries and private-sector investors, to enable Africans to deal with these challenges.
But I am encouraged by the truly bipartisan effort behind legislation to stimulate trade and investment in sub- Saharan Africa. It’s a coali- tion between some of the very progressive members of Congress and some of the conservative members. So we - the Administration and the Congress - have a great opportunity to enact legislation soon that will encourage and reward the development of market economics in Africa, as we have done in Asia.
In Zaire, we are watching what Mr. Kabila does next with great interest. If there is a peaceful entry into Kinshasa, if he forms a broad-based political coalition, if he makes progress on helping the refugees and punishes his troops who are respons ible for any abuses, if he commits himself to democratic elections, human rights and responsible economic policies - then he’ll have made a good start. Then Zaire will have entered a new era. If he does these things, he can and should receive the full su pport of the international community.
