August 31, 2007

Djibouti, August 31, 2007 - Stuart Symington, a longtime diplomatic official who was recently involved in overseeing Iraq’s January 2005 elections, was sworn in as U.S. ambassador to Djibouti on August 18, 2006.

Question: How does the United States affect the economy of Djibouti? How does the U.S. promote growth and development?

A healthy, educated workforce is essential to Djibouti’s economic future. Much of the U.S. effort here is directed at improving both. We renovate schools and clinics and train personnel. We also work with civic groups, including new parent-teacher associations and community health groups active in rural areas. Another vital factor for growth is good government.

We support government efforts to improve transparency and accountability. Our help is directed at increasing the capacity of the government Accounting Office and the Office of the Inspector General to provide more effective oversight. Finally, growth requires investment and investors seek security. Together with our coalition partners, we work with Djibouti to increase security in the region by stopping terrorism and promoting peaceful, political resolution of ongoing conflicts.

Question: Camp Lemonier is the United States’ only military base in Africa. What kind of economic impact has the base had on the country?

Americans serving in Camp Lemonier are full partners in Djibouti’s efforts to help its people find a better life. The centerpiece of our military effort here is civil affairs work; these are projects that help people and that help communities help themselves. On the job, our military personnel provide medical and veterinary treatment, especially in isolated areas, and renovate school and health sites. They dig wells, improve roads, and provide education materials and health supplies. On their own time, many volunteer their efforts and donate their own money to make Djibouti better and give Djiboutians a positive and personal impression of American ideals, one person at a time.

Question: Djibouti is a country of few natural resources. An important asset is its port in the city of Djibouti. What role is the U.S. playing to facilitate the development of the port and to facilitate the inflow of foreign direct investment?

Djibouti ’s location is its greatest asset, and its Port reflects that fact. But it is also rich in maritime resources and in tourist potential. Its development is linked to the sea and to the land. Today, it is both a regional trans-shipment port and a doorway to the African hinterland; its short-term goal is to have the most efficient and modern very deep water port in the region; its long-term plan is to be a center for services and industrial transformation and re-export. We encourage Djibouti’s ongoing efforts to increase the security, efficiency, and transparency of its port operations.

Question: With such a heavy economic focus on the port of Djibouti and the civil service, what is being done to bring jobs and economic growth to those living in more rural areas?

Djibouti’s approach to promoting rural growth has three elements: improved traditional livestock operations, market-based irrigated agricultural production, and new industries, including tourism. Djibouti has increased market access for its livestock with better sanitary controls; it is promoting market gardens, at the grassroots level and on an industrial scale; and it is supporting new investment in small industries, from tourism to cement and water.

Question: What effect is the current turmoil in Somalia having on economic growth in Djibouti?

The Horn of Africa is divided into sovereign nations, but their economies are closely linked. The investment climate in the Horn as a whole suffers while conflict continues in Somalia, although sophisticated investors note the differences from one country to another. Djibouti remains a strong advocate for Somali efforts to stop violence and reach a broad-based political consensus that will resolve the ongoing conflict.

Question: Djibouti is a member of multiple international organizations which the United States is not, including the Arab League, the African Union, the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, and the Intergovernmental Agency on Development. As one of the largest employers and economic forces in Djibouti, how does the United States work with intergovernmental organizations to promote economic growth and stability?

Around the region, we coordinate our efforts with those multi-national organizations that can play a positive role promoting growth and ending conflict in the Horn. Our joint efforts range from coordinating responses to humanitarian crises to supporting regional economic integration and concerted development efforts. As we seek to advance stability in Africa, it is essential that we work closely with African organizations.

They have taken the lead responding to the violence in Somalia, with our support. We will continue looking together for ways we can help Somalia and the Horn resolve their long conflict. In this process, promoting economic growth is critical. Everywhere in the world, the prospect for peace and freedom is better when there is an improvement in the ratio of jobs to job seekers.

Question: What role does Djibouti play in helping the United States advance its diplomatic goals in the greater region?

Djibouti is a natural meetinghouse and marketplace. Its leaders and people speak the languages of all its neighbors and understand their neighbors’ conflicts. Drawing on a reputation for neutrality and a commitment to peace, Djibouti opposes terrorism and seeks peaceful resolution of regional disputes. It is also an advocate of rapid economic integration and growth, noting the positive benefit for those seeking peace.

In these views, Djibouti shares vital U.S. goals. With a global economic outlook and a tradition of secular government and religious freedom, if Djibouti succeeds, it will serve the region, and the world, as a lighthouse — showing a path to the goals it espouses. In addition, if you’ll forgive a metaphor mix, with its small, but transforming market-oriented economy, Djibouti might even serve the economies of its larger neighbors as a tug boat, pushing them in a positive direction.

An Interview with Ambassador Stuart Symington.

Conducted by Sam Yellen

Source: The Politic