The President of the Republic of Rwanda, H.E. Paul Kagame and First Lady Mrs. Jeannette Kagame have arrived in the United States, at the beginning of an official visit in which the President and First lady will hold meetings at the White House with US President George W. Bush and US First Lady Laura Bush respectively.
President Kagame’s visit to the US reflects the warm and increasingly strong relationship between Rwanda and the US, which is based on a shared vision for peace, security and development in Rwanda and Africa as a whole. Bilateral relations between the two countries have in the recent past extended beyond traditionally important political ties to encompass trade and socio-economic development.
President Kagame will hold talks with President Bush at the White House on Tuesday 4th March 2003. He will also meet with Secretary of State Gen. Colin Powell, National Security Advisor Dr. Condoleeza Rice, Treasury Under-Secretary Mr. John Taylor, US Trade Representative Mr. Robert Zoellik, the Administrator for USAID Mr. Andrew Natsios and members of the US Congress.
During the visit, President Kagame is expected to highlight the fact that only nine years after the genocide in which one million people died, Rwanda has undergone a political and economic transformation, and is today one of the best governed and fastest growing economies in Africa. He will be meeting business leaders from the US and Canada to stress that Rwanda is now open for business.
The President will also travel to New York to meet with former President Bill Clinton, and to Houston, Texas to meet with former President George H.W. Bush and deliver an address at the Baker Institute. He will also travel to San Francisco, California to address the Commonwealth Club, and meet with the Rwanda Diaspora community and business leaders in Boston, Massachusetts.
President Kagame and First Lady Mrs. Kagame are accompanied on the visit by Foreign Minister Dr. Charles Muligande, the Minister for Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion, Dr. Alexander Lyambabaje, and the Director of Cabinet in the Presidency, Ambassador Dr Théogčne Rudasingwa.
