Liberian president to address US Congress (AFP)

[Up2Late]

(I don't know enough about Liberian politics to comment on her, but this is a great milestone for African Women.)

Liberian president to address US Congress

10/03/2006 00h47

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the first woman elected president in Africa, has been invited to address the Congress next week, a rare US honor, officials said.

Sirleaf will address a joint session of Congress on Wednesday, said majority leader of the House of Representatives, John Boehner. She will give her address during a week-long visit to the United States, the Liberian embassy said.

Sirleaf, who took office in January, is to arrive in the United States on Tuesday, and is to meet with President George W. Bush on a date to be announced, Samuel Abu, spokesman for the embassy, told AFP.

She also will address the UN Security Council on March 17, he said.

(more at link below)

<http://www.afp.com/english/news/stories/060310004447.4bunkspk.html>

[tocqueville]

1. she was in France yesterday, received by Chirac for Women's day nt

[Xeric]

2. LIberian politics

Some info on the members of Sirleaf's cabinet:

"Antoinette Sayeh, former head of the World Bank program in Benin, was appointed Minister of Finance while Brownie Samukai, a former director of police who has received training in Israel and the United States, was named Defense Minister."
Quoted from Reuters article on the Liberian inauguration.

Sayeh: "Sayeh is a 1979 graduate Swarthmore College, PA, America’s number 3 Liberal Arts College. She is a Country Director at the World Bank ....She is unknown in Liberian political and business circles. She worked briefly in the Planning Ministry and as a Technical Staff in the Ministry of Finance during the Samuel Doe’s regime." http://www.liberiapastandpresent.org/SamuelKDoe.htm]

Samukai: "Brownie Samukai is a former soldier turned Police Director under Amos Sawyer. http://members.aol.com/csiedit/location_location_location.htm for more info on Sawyer, his US connections and his role along with the newly elected president in the Liberian civil war> Samukai attended military training in Israel and Liberia but ended up at American University on a Liberian Defense Ministry scholarship"
http://www.frontpageafrica.com/RunScript.asp?page=&Article_ID=1012&NWS=NWS&ap=NewsDetail.asp&p=ASP\~Pg0.asp

The oil rich Gulf of Guinea is why the US is interested in controlling Liberia.
"The 359 mile (579 km) Liberia Atlantic Ocean coastline opens up into the oil laden Gulf of Guinea. Although neighboring countries of Cote d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone have proven substantial offshore oil reserves, the waters of the coast of Liberia have yet to be tapped in this oil rich region of West Africa." http://www.1stliberia.com/oil-gas.htm

This explains the presence of Laura Bush and Condi Rice at the inauguration of Sirleaf. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf is a hand-picked crony of the neocons chosen in another suspect election to carry out their bidding.

Also see: Exile.ru War Nerd column for some interesting facts on the history of Liberia and its US connection:
http://www.exile.ru/2006-February-24/trading_places_liberias_pompous_slaves.html

[Up2Late]

3. "...a hand-picked crony..." was my first thought too...

...but I didn't want to speculate.

It always seems to come down to Oil with this Cabal, doesn't it?

[no_hypocrisy]

4. I can only imagine her meeting * and him saying, "My wife's a liberian

too. You'll have a lot to talk about."

[cantstandbush]

5. This might prove to be very interesting. This woman is very smart. n/t

[Up2Late]

6. kick n/t

:kick: