American general seeks to play down fears over new Africa command
The Associated Press
Nov. 08 2007
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia: The head of the U.S. military's new Africa-wide command sought to play down fears over potential U.S. military expansion while visiting one of America's staunchest African allies on Thursday.
"The notion that we will establish military bases, and garrison large numbers of troops, it's just not true. That is not the purpose, that's not the design nor is it the intention for what we have done with this command," said U.S. Army Gen. William "Kip" Ward, who will head AFRICOM for the next three years.
The new designation will allow Ward to create military strategy for the whole of Africa, replacing a system that divided U.S. operations on the continent among several commands.
Ward did not say where the 1,000-person headquarters would be permanently based. It is currently run by a staff of 200 from Stuttgart, Germany.
"There have been no decisions made," he said. "Any decision that is made will only be made in consultation with our friends, partners and based on those consultations, we will make a decision as appropriate. It is a very deliberate process, it will take time as we go ahead."
Only the west African nation of Liberia has volunteered to host the command. Several, wracked by civil wars fueled in part by money from the Cold War superpowers, have publicly expressed their distaste for the idea.
The general was speaking during a visit with leaders from the African Union, based in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa, as part of a trip that included stops in Senegal, Cameroon and oil-rich Gabon.
