US Official upbeat about ‘Improving’ relations with Gambia

(Culled from The Gambia Daily by Momodou Trawally)

 ROBERT Perry, United States Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for West African Affairs, spent three hours and twenty minutes with President Yahya Jammeh on Monday, when he called on him at State House. Mr. Terry, who arrived in The Gambia on Monday, is on a three-day visit to the country.

Speaking afterwards to reporters, Mr. Perry said his visit was to help improve relations between the United States and The Gambia. He said he believed that a number of steps The Gambia took in the recent elections have shown that it is moving in the right direction.

He said his discussion with President Jammeh had touched on other matters, including bilateral relations, counter-terrorism, regional security and common goals.

Mr. Perry described current relations between The Gambia and the United States as “improving…. I think President Jammeh has taken a number of steps in recent months to do that.

The US, he said, is trying to recognize such steps, and to remove some of the barriers, which have hindered co-operation in the past, so that the US can co-operate with The Gambia as it with other countries in Africa.

EXCLUSION FROM AGOA

Referring to The Gambia’s exclusion from AGOA – The African Growth and Opportunity Act – Mr. Perry said he had discussed it with President Jammeh, and the US government will review the matter.

He said he is not in a position to make any statement as to when The Gambia will be eligible to benefit from the Act, “but it is something we will definitely look at”. Asked what criteria are used to determine a country’s eligibility, Mr. Perry said the criteria addresses economic, political and foreign policy issues.

He said some elements of The Gambia’s foreign policy affect US foreign policy and interests, and there have been certain problems.

Mr. Perry said he had discussed with the president and the foreign secretary but declined to go into details.

He said the US has some concerns about Gambia’s policies in the economic, foreign and security realm.

He added, “We are on track to rebuild the relationship based on the steps that have been taken by the government of The Gambia. You have done things, and we are prepared to recognize those steps and look forward to further co-operation in the future. We expect you to work to take certain positive steps, and we would try to do the same on our side”.

ECOWAS

Mr. Perry said his discussion with President Jammeh also touched on the situation in the Mano River Union. He said the United States looks forward to close co-operation with ECOWAS states, describing ECOWAS as a body with a stake in the peace and stability of the sub-region.

Robert Perry is a native of Durham, North Carolina. He has a BA in political science and an MA in international relations.

He became Deputy assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of African Affairs at the Department of State in July last year.

His portfolio covers West African affairs, economic policy and public diplomacy.

Mr. Perry was accompanied to statehouse by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Baboucar Blaise Jagne, the Secretary of State for Finance and Economic Affairs, Mr. Famara Jatta, together with the American Ambassador to The Gambia, Mr. Jackson McDonald.

Have a good day, Gassa.