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Mr. Chairman: I am pleased to appear before the Committee today as the President's nominee to be Ambassador to the Republic of Namibia. This is my first appearance testifying on African issues. I have had the privilege of testifying before the full committee and the Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs a half dozen or so times in the past 3 years on issues involving our relations with the East Asian and Pacific region. During my 24 years in the Foreign Service, I have served overseas in Hong Kong, Zambia, China, Taiwan, and Congo-Kinshasa. While in Washington, I have worked at the National Security Council as Director for Asian Affairs and as Deputy Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs. I also served at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations. My assignments have given me, I believe, a good balance of experience: service in overseas areas undergoing crisis and external invasion; work with the senior-most officials in the U.S. Government and the Congress on issues demanding national attention; and defense of U.S. values and interests in multilateral settings. In my various assignments in Washington, New York, Asia, and Africa, I have witnessed, and played a part in projecting the positive influence the United States can have on the lives and welfare of people of other countries. During my tour in Zambia, for instance, I worked with other western ambassadors and American Non-Governmental Organizations to pull together an international monitoring effort that oversaw the first multiparty elections in that country in 2 decades. In my work on China and Hong Kong, I worked with others to encourage openness in China and protection of human rights, including release of dissidents and the rights of Tibetans. It is therefore a real privilege for me to be assigned to a country that is one of the more recent independent nations to have embraced democratic rule. Since gaining independence in 1990, Namibia's leaders, people, and non-governmental actors have worked hard, and generally successfully, to sustain and strengthen democratic institutions. Namibia deserves its reputation as a model for newly emerging democracies across Africa. Its multiracial society is governed by a multiparty democratic system, with free elections and a good human rights record. Consolidating democratic gains, however, takes years, sometimes generations. We have seen other countries in Africa, Eastern Europe, and Asia which have held an election or two but have then slipped back into authoritarian ways because democratic institutions were not thoroughly rooted in their societies and economic and social challenges not addressed. The great challenge for Namibia is to bring the vast majority of Namibians disadvantaged by apartheid's legacy and the burdens of underdevelopment into the economic mainstream. That will be the strongest foundation for Namibia's democracy. Namibia not only possesses a working democracy but a relatively open, market-oriented economy. Namibia's most important economic sector is mining, particularly for diamonds and uranium, and there has been growth in the fishing, tourism, and agriculture industries. U.S. bilateral trade with Namibia has expanded in recent years to $103 million in 1998. The United States enjoys a positive relationship with Namibia. We played a key role in helping Namibia secure its independence and are assisting Namibia to build its democratic political system and free-market economy. Our assistance programs include primary education, human resources development, humanitarian demining, environmental initiatives, and programs strengthening civil society and the rights of individuals. Since Namibia assumed a 2-year membership on the United Nations Security Council at the beginning of this year, seeking support in that forum has become a top priority for U.S. policy, vis-a-vis Namibia. Namibia's leadership role at the United Nations could expand with the strong candidacy of its respected foreign minister for the presidency of the General Assembly in September. Namibia today faces many challenges. Economically, Namibia must raise the majority of its citizens out of grinding poverty and lower a 40% unemployment rate. Namibia has one of Africa's highest rates of HIV/AIDS, which has dramatically reduced life expectancy and has had a devastating effect on both the nation and individual Namibians. Regionally, Namibians are uneasy over the renewed conflict in Angola, with whom they share a common border. They are eager, too, to see a ceasefire take hold in the Democratic Republic of Congo where the Namibian Government sent troops last year to defend President Kabila's government against internal rebellion and external armed forces. Mr. Chairman, if confirmed, my goals will include: --to seek Namibian support for U.S. policy in the United Nations and on African security issues; --to assist Namibians in strengthening their democratic institutions and commitment to a free-market economy; --to advance humanitarian objectives, such as combating the scourge of AIDS and land mines; --to implement programs designed to lift Namibians out of poverty; --to find trade and investment opportunities for U.S. business; and --to protect the lives, interest, and welfare of Americans living in and passing through Namibia. I look forward to answering the questions of members of the Committee. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. [end of document] |
