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Bush to address African conflicts Bush calls for fair Zimbabwe poll
(30 minutes later)
US President George W Bush is beginning the second day of his African tour with talks focusing on the violence in Kenya and the Darfur crisis. US President George W Bush has called for "free and fair" elections to be held in Zimbabwe.
Mr Bush, who is in Tanzania, has pressed Kenya to accept a power-sharing agreement following disputed elections. Speaking on a visit to Tanzania, Mr Bush said the people of Zimbabwe deserved a government that recognized their "basic human rights".
He is also keen to speed up the deployment of peacekeepers to Darfur. Earlier, Mr Bush signed a $698m deal with Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete worth $698 million to reduce poverty.
This is Mr Bush's second trip to Africa. Its main focus is on highlighting the success of projects to fight Aids and malaria. Mr Bush is in the east African nation on the second leg of a six-day five-nation tour of the continent.
After a first stop in Benin, Mr Bush is spending three days in Tanzania, on his first presidential tour of Africa since 2003. The deal will help improve roads, power and water supplies and comes as part of the Millennium Challenge compact, which makes grants to countries which stick to democratic principles and sound economic policies.
As part of his health campaign, Mr Bush is due to visit a factory which makes anti-malaria mosquito nets and a hospital in the capital Dar es Salaam. Presidential poll
Backing mediation President Bush said free and fair elections in Zimbabwe were in the interest of its people.
Jendayi Frazer, the Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, said the president would also discuss Chad - which repelled a recent rebel assault - and Zimbabwe in discussions with Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete, the new chairman of the African Union. "It happens to be in the interest of the world as well," he said at a joint news conference with President Kikwete, who is the new head of the African Union.
PRESIDENT BUSH'S ITINERARY Benin - Cotonou: arrival ceremony, meets president Tanzania - Dar es Salaam: meets president, tours hospital; Arusha: tours hospital, textile mill and girls' schoolRwanda - Kigali: meets president, visits genocide memorial Ghana - Accra: meets president, state dinner Liberia - Monrovia: meets president, visits university 'Mercy and realism' on visitBush tour: African voicesIn pictures: Bush in Africa PRESIDENT BUSH'S ITINERARY Benin - Cotonou: arrival ceremony, meets president Tanzania - Dar es Salaam: meets president, tours hospital; Arusha: tours hospital, textile mill and girls' schoolRwanda - Kigali: meets president, visits genocide memorial Ghana - Accra: meets president, state dinner Liberia - Monrovia: meets president, visits university 'Mercy and realism' on visitBush tour: African voicesIn pictures: Bush in Africa Zimbabwe is due to hold presidential and legislative elections at the end of March.
He will also sign an aid package worth nearly $700 million for Tanzania. Western countries say the last elections in 2002, which saw President Robert Mugabe returned to office, were not free and fair. Mr Mugabe is standing again for the ruling ZANU-PF party.
Kenya and the post-election violence were also expected to feature prominently on the second day of Mr Bush's Africa tour, which will also take him to Rwanda, Ghana and Liberia.
Mr Bush has pressed Kenya to accept a power-sharing agreement following disputed elections.
Tanzania has taken in refugees from the tribal violence which broke out in Kenya following the disputed presidential election result.Tanzania has taken in refugees from the tribal violence which broke out in Kenya following the disputed presidential election result.
Mr Bush is sending his Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, to Nairobi on Monday to help the peace effort led by ex-UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.Mr Bush is sending his Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, to Nairobi on Monday to help the peace effort led by ex-UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.
Senior US officials say the purpose of the trip is not to take over Kofi Annan's mediation efforts, but to back them. This is Mr Bush's second trip to Africa. Its main focus is on highlighting the success of projects to fight Aids and malaria.
As part of his health campaign, Mr Bush is due to visit a factory which makes anti-malaria mosquito nets and a hospital in the capital Dar es Salaam.
After arriving in Dar es Salaam, the US president and First Lady Laura Bush were welcomed by thousands of people lining the road, which was decorated with banners saying "we cherish democracy" and "thank you for helping fight malaria and HIV".After arriving in Dar es Salaam, the US president and First Lady Laura Bush were welcomed by thousands of people lining the road, which was decorated with banners saying "we cherish democracy" and "thank you for helping fight malaria and HIV".
But there have also been protests in the country by Muslims opposed to the US "war on terror". Mr Bush said he had skipped conflict areas to highlight success stories during his trip to Africa, even though he remained committed to ending turmoil.
Mr Bush said he had skipped conflict areas to highlight success stories during his six-day, five-nation visit, even though he remained committed to ending turmoil. Military command
Democratic reform, economic and military assistance, and the fight against HIV/Aids are expected to be raised.
Legacy
Mr Bush also wants to allay concerns about a new military command he wants to base in Africa to work with African militaries to deal with trafficking or terror.Mr Bush also wants to allay concerns about a new military command he wants to base in Africa to work with African militaries to deal with trafficking or terror.
I've got a firm, heartfelt commitment to the continent of Africa President George W Bush Full interview transcriptBush interview: Your reaction
So far, Liberia is the only nation to have offered to host the US base. There are already some 1,700 US troops in Djibouti.So far, Liberia is the only nation to have offered to host the US base. There are already some 1,700 US troops in Djibouti.
Mr Bush has called for urgent action over the "genocide" in Sudan's region of Darfur, where at least 200,000 people have died and two million been displaced since 2003.Mr Bush has called for urgent action over the "genocide" in Sudan's region of Darfur, where at least 200,000 people have died and two million been displaced since 2003.
In a BBC interview prior to his tour, the US president defended his decision not to send soldiers to Darfur, saying he had not wanted to deploy US troops into another Muslim country.In a BBC interview prior to his tour, the US president defended his decision not to send soldiers to Darfur, saying he had not wanted to deploy US troops into another Muslim country.
For a president whose foreign policy has been defined by Iraq, this visit to Africa is an opportunity to show the more compassionate side of his legacy, says the BBC's Laura Trevelyan who is travelling with Mr Bush.
America has spent $15bn (£7.5bn) fighting Aids overseas since 2003, and Mr Bush has recently asked Congress to double that amount.
More than one million people in sub-Saharan Africa have life-saving anti-retroviral drugs thanks to the policy.
However the policy has been criticised by some for focusing on encouraging people not to have sex in order to stop the spread of Aids - which critics say is unrealistic.