President Clinton Into Africa

CHARLES KRAUSE: The President and First Lady arrived in the Ugandan town of Entebbe late last night. Uganda is the second stop of their 11-day African tour. This morning, in the capital city of Kampala, Mr. and Mrs. Clinton were greeted by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and his wife. Soon after, the president met with Museveni and other Ugandan officials at the State House Lodge. During a brief session with reporters, President Clinton was asked for his reaction to the estimated half million people who greeted him in Ghana yesterday afternoon.

PRESIDENT CLINTON: There were two people there who were just wedged between the crowds and the barrier, and I was afraid they were being hurt, perhaps being killed. We got some room for them; we got them out, and it was fine. But it was a wonderful day I had.

CHARLES KRAUSE: During today's meeting President Clinton and President Museveni discussed the history of Africa, the history of Uganda, the future, and mistakes made by both countries in the past. According to White House officials, the president also made African security the center of his agenda, promoting economic trade, democracy, and human rights in the region.

Later in the afternoon, schoolchildren, clad in pink uniforms, lined a dirt path and cheered as the president arrived at Kisowera Primary School, a rural school in the Ugandan village of Mukono. During his speech there, the president announced a multi-million dollar assistance program for African schools.

PRESIDENT CLINTON: I came here in the hope that the American people would see you with new eyes, if they would see the children dance, see the children learning, hear the children singing and say, we should be part of the same future. Through a new initiative, the education for development and democracy, we want to give 120 million over the next two years to innovative programs to improve education. We want to widen the circle of educational opportunity as is already happening here in Uganda. We want to make investments in primary education for those who will educate boys and girls because that is critical to improving health, reducing poverty, raising the status of women, spurring economic growth.

CHARLES KRAUSE: The White House also announced today a $61 million Africa-wide program aimed at improving the quality, safety, and distribution of crops, and a new $1 million grant to fight malaria. Tomorrow the President will travel to Kigali, Rwanda, to meet with survivors of the county's 1994 genocide, before returning to Uganda, where he and Ugandan President Museveni will co-host a summit of regional leaders.