October 17, 1999
Web posted at: 10:18 AM EDT (1418 GMT)

From Correspondent Andrea Koppel

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright left Sunday for her third official trip to Africa faced with the task of reassuring leaders there of U.S. commitment to economic growth and reform.

U.S. officials say the Albright's trip will focus on the United States' "evolving partnership" with Africa. But others charge that, despite good intentions, Washington still treats Africa with a double standard.

President Clinton's six-nation trip last year inspired a new sense of hope among many Africans anticipating a broader trade relationship.

But the talk has not been followed up on because, says Salih Booker of the Council on Foreign Relations, "they haven't been able to commit the resources to follow through on the talk."

This is in part because legislation to promote U.S. African trade has languished in Congress. President Clinton earlier this month pledged to ease billions owned Washington by African nations.

"Its significant because this debt overhang affects these countries severely. They end up spending more on their debt than they're able to invest in education and health," Booker said.

On another front, there will be questions about U.S. commitment to ending a host of African conflicts. Currently 16 nations on the continent are at war.

"It does look on the face of it like a double standard because we take leadership roles without that much hesitation in places like Kosovo," notes Chester Crocker, former Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs.

"I'm not implying you can solve every problem. But this is a pretty big place with significant potential stakes for the region and not just the African region but the Middle East region."

Secretary Albright's visit will be marketed as a step in that direction, but many will be paying closer attention to what the U.S. does following her visit to help solve some of Africa's more pressing problems.