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. “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. Meade declined to comment on its contents, but an AU source confirmed the accuracy of the text of the letter circulating on social media. 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 a “extended visit” in March. He told African leaders that he looks forward to “welcoming many of you to the White House.”afp(Visited 913 times, 30 visits today)

Source: Punch January 28, 2018 11:26 UTC