George Bush meets with Mali president Amadou Touré

George W. Bush, president of the United States met with the Malian President Amadou Touré yesterday. Mr.Bush said that he "was touched by the [Malian] President's concern about the life of the average citizen in Mali," and that he is "proud to be standing side-by-side with you [Amadou Touré]."

Mr.Bush started the press conference after the meeting by saying that one of the reasons he wants to work with Mali is "because they've agreed to fight corruption, and support the education and health of its citizens." He added that he believes Mali is "a country that's committed to the rights of its people," and that the United States is "proud to be standing side-by-side with you. [the Malian President]." Mr.Bush also thanked Touré "for his hard work in helping his citizens deal with HIV/AIDS."

Mr.Bush said that in the meeting they spent "a fair amount of time talking about the dangers of radicals and extremists associated with groups like al Qaeda." He said that they also discussed the "need for close cooperation to protect the innocent people from those who murder the innocent in order to achieve their dark political vision."

Mr. Touré said in the press conference after the meeting that he "would like to convey to the President of the United States the sympathies and solidarity of the people of Mali because of the destruction caused by the tornados in some of the southern states of the United States." He continued by saying that "the [US] President had some initiatives not only for Mali, but also for Africa, which we [the Malian government] believe are historical initiatives."