Remarks With Tanzanian President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete Before Their Meeting

Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State

Treaty Room

Washington, DC

May 21, 2009

SECRETARY CLINTON: This is a particular pleasure and honor for me to welcome the President here. We will be having a working meeting, and then he will be meeting with President Obama in the Oval Office. But Tanzania is a country that has made so much progress and has an extraordinary potential that we wish to partner with and assist in every way possible.

I myself have had a wonderful visit to your country, Mr. President. And I am delighted that I am the Secretary of State at this moment and have this chance to commit our efforts to working closely with you and to commend you on your leadership.

PRESIDENT KIKWETE: Madame Secretary, I thank you for the opportunity to meet. I thank you for – I thank President Obama for the invitation. Well, I’m here to reaffirm our commitment for continued cooperation and friendship. We have excellent relations on a political level, a bilateral level. We see eye-to-eye on many international issues. We work together at the multilateral level. I’m here to give you that assurance for continued cooperation efforts.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you, sir.

PRESIDENT KIKWETE: Thank you.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Welcome, Mr. President. Thank you all very much.

QUESTION: Madame Secretary, should Sri Lanka get an IMF loan (inaudible)? Has your thinking changed (inaudible)?

SECRETARY CLINTON: We’re working with the Sri Lankan Government. I spoke with the president earlier today, and we discussed a number of the efforts that his government wanted to take, as well as the international community, to assist Sri Lanka in the work that lies ahead that is very important for the healing and reconciliation in the nation. And I’ve pledged our support, and we’ll continue to follow closely what is happening there.

Thank you.

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