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| US President Barack Obama and his daughter Sasha disembark from Air Force One at Berlin Tegel airport on June 18, 2013. Kenya's omission from President Obama's Africa itinerary does not signify a downgrading of Washington's relationship with Nairobi, a White House official said June 21, 2013. AFP |
Kenya's omission from President Obama's Africa itinerary does not signify a
downgrading of Washington's relationship with Nairobi, a White House official said
on Friday.
President Obama is due to visit Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania next week
in an Africa tour that will bypass Kenya, his ancestral homeland.
"The Kenyan people just hold a very special place in the president's
heart," declared Ben Rhodes, spokesman for the US National Security
Council.
"The close partnership the US has had with Kenya for decades will
certainly continue," Mr Rhodes said.
The official was speaking at a press briefing in response to a reporter's
question of whether Mr Obama's decision to bypass Kenya is tied to the
International Criminal Court case involving President Kenyatta and his deputy
William Ruto.
"We respect the sovereign right of the Kenyan people to choose their
own leaders," Mr Rhodes said. The US will work with President
Kenyatta."
Making reference to the ICC indictments, Mr Rhodes further commented:
"It wasn't the best time for the president to travel to Kenya at this
point."
"The Kenyan government will continue to work through the issues it has
with the international community," he said.
In response to a separate question as to whether Mama Sarah might meet Mr
Obama during his visit to Tanzania, Mr Rhodes said: "I am not aware of any
plans to see his grandmother."
The spokesman noted that Auma Obama, the president's Kenyan half-sister, had
attended Mr Obama's recent speech in Berlin as well as the state dinner.
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