Clinton's African agenda

Mr Clinton is credited for drawing Africa back into US foreign policy

By the BBC's Jeff Phillips

Since his first visit to the continent over two years ago, Mr Clinton has drawn Africa in from the very margins of United States foreign policy.

Now making his second African trip, visiting Nigeria and Tanzania, he hopes to encourage that change further by throwing his full support behind the civilian government of President Olusegun Obasanjo, which took office in May last year.

Rev Jackson represents US interests in Africa

Over the past two years, Mr Clinton has been encouraging his senior cabinet officers to visit the continent, and has backed legislation to promote trade with and investment in African states.

He has also appointed the black leader, Jesse Jackson, as his special representative for democracy in Africa.

Black voters

More than anybody else in US public life, the Clinton-Gore White House has opened American eyes to the terrible devastation of the HIV/Aids epidemic in Africa.

Analysts say that good relations with Africa help President Clinton's Democratic Party retain the support of black voters - one of its key electoral constituencies.

But this, in itself, is not enough to explain his unusual interest in the region.

Clinton's visit to boost Obasanjo's civilian government

Rather, they say, key advisers have persuaded him that he can score important foreign policy and trade successes in an area neglected by past administrations.

And, as in other areas of policy, once President Clinton is persuaded that something is worth doing, he adopts the policy very much as his own.

Economic support

In January, the United States designated Nigeria one of four "key democracies" upon which Washington would focus political attention and economic resources.

But critics say the level of economic support does not go far enough, particularly in pushing debt relief.

They also argue that while US support for democracy is to be welcomed, by pressing so hard for Nigeria to open its economy to foreign trade, Washington is too obviously serving its own interests rather than nurturing those of Nigeria.

With Nigeria now among the top five oil suppliers to the United States, the economic relationship is growing.

But oil has become expensive, and Mr Clinton will urge the Nigerian government to work within Opec to lower prices.

Indeed, President Obasanjo has already acknowledged that cheaper oil is in the interests of both suppliers and importers.

Drug trafficking

Mr Clinton will also urge President Obasanjo to take tougher steps to combat drug trafficking.

Nigerian soldiers to play key role in Africa's peace missions

US officials regard Nigeria as "the scourge of the continent" when it comes to drugs, and say Nigerian traffickers are responsible for most of the heroin that reaches America.

The first of several hundred US soldiers also arrive in Nigeria this week to help train Nigerian troops taking part in peacekeeping operations in Sierra Leone.

This is aimed at developing the Nigerian army as a new model African intervention and peacekeeping force.

The deployment of American troops follows criticism of what was seen as the Clinton administration's weak support for the UN role in Sierra Leone, where RUF rebels had forced the government to negotiate with them after a ruthless military campaign in which they chopped off the limbs of hundreds of civilians caught up in the war.

While support for Nigeria is the essential purpose of Mr Clinton's African visit, he has also accepted an invitation to Arusha, Tanzania from the mediator of the Burundi conflict, former South African President Nelson Mandela.

Mr Clinton's presence at the Arusha talks would be a sign of his commitment to the process.