The Chairperson of Americans Living Abroad, Monica Stewart,
on Wednesday urged President Barack Obama to focus more on trade with
Africa in his second term in office.
Speaking with newsmen in Johannesburg, Stewart said Americans in Africa have a lot at stake in America’s foreign policy. "The
State Department needs to be more responsive to Americans living abroad
as they are the new face of America in terms of how people interact,
this has been underestimated over time,’’ Stewart said while reacting to
Barack Obama’s victory at the polls.
An excited Stewart said
that the Democrats are proud to claim the election victory. "We are
claiming it, we certainly are. This is turning out to be a good morning
for right-thinking people who supported Obama,’’ Stewart said. She
dismissed media claims that Obama’s first four years in office had been
failure. "American voters are not dumb. People understand that Obama
inherited a mess, much like South African people understand the ANC
inherited a mess,’’ she said.
According to her, Americans have
been able to see through the shenanigans of the Republicans to blame
Obama for the shambles of that country’s economy. She, however,
argues that there is a clear difference on where one could decide to be,
based on what the values and aspirations are. "To decide to be part of
the 47 per cent that doesn’t matter, the 47 that belongs to Romney.
Instead, Americans decided to say yes to Obama,’’ Stweart said.
Meanwhile,
President Jacob Zuma of South Africa has sent a message of
congratulation to Obama on his re-election. "We value our relations with
the U.S. and look forward to strengthening bilateral cooperation in the
years to come,’’ Zuma said.
Zuma reiterated that the U.S. had an
important role to play in Africa's development. "South Africa is
confident that the U.S. will continue to play a positive role in this
regard,’’ Zuma said.
culled from-http://news.naij.com/13949.html
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