(Repeats with no change)
* Clinton to be top U.S. official to visit South Sudan
* She will pay her respects to Nelson Mandela
* U.S. increasingly focusing on African security ties
By Andrew Quinn
WASHINGTON, July 31 (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton departs this week on a trip that will take her
both to Africa’s newest nation, South Sudan, and on a visit to
the continent’s elder statesman, 94-year-old anti-apartheid icon
Nelson Mandela.
While Clinton’s public focus will be on Africa’s democratic
achievements and economic potential, the trip also underscores
U.S. security ties in the face of an array of growing threats
–from Islamist extremists to narcotics cartels.
“The security threats are becoming much more visible and in
some ways dangerous than they were before,” said Jennifer Cooke,
the head of the Africa program at the Center for Strategic and
International Studies in Washington.
“There are big global issues on the table, and the U.S. does
not have the kind of finances available to mount splashy new
economic initiatives in Africa.”
Continued…
