US President Donald Trump in Switzerland on January 25, 2018. He said
the United States "deeply respects" Africans. PHOTO | NICHOLAS KAMM |
AFP
President Donald Trump said the United States "deeply respects"
Africans and will dispatch its top diplomat to the continent, in a
letter to African leaders seen by AFP on Sunday.
The
letter sent last week comes after Trump provoked a firestorm of
indignation among African nations earlier in January when he reportedly
called them "shithole countries" during a meeting with lawmakers in
Washington.
While Trump has denied the remarks, they
are expected to be formally condemned by the 55 member states of the
African Union during their ongoing summit in the Ethiopian capital.
"I
want to underscore that the United States deeply respects the people of
Africa, and my commitment to strong and respectful relationships with
African nations as sovereign nations is firm," Trump wrote in the
letter.
"Our soldiers are fighting
side-by-side to defeat terrorists," he said, and "we are working
together to increase free, fair and reciprocal trade."
The letter was not made public, but its existence was confirmed by Chris Meade, a diplomat with the US delegation to the AU.
Meade declined to comment on its contents, but
an AU source confirmed the accuracy of the text of the letter
circulating on social media.
Reports
Earlier
this month media reports emerged of Trump demanding to know during a
meeting on immigration reform why the United States should accept
citizens from "shithole countries", including Haiti, El Salvador and the
entire African continent.
Trump defended himself on Twitter, saying: "The language used by me... was tough, but this was not the language used."
In
the letter, Trump does not acknowledge the reported comments, but said
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson would make an "extended visit" in
March.
He told African leaders that he looks forward to "welcoming many of you to the White House."
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