(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-01-28 11:03

WASHINGTON -- US President George W. Bush will visit Benin, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ghana and Liberia Feb. 15-21 for talks on economic development and the fight against HIV/AIDS and other diseases, the White House said in a statement on Friday.

"This trip will be an opportunity for the president to review firsthand the significant progress since his last visit in 2003 in efforts to increase economic development and fight HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other treatable diseases, as a result of the United States robust programs in these areas," the statement said.

During his African trip, Bush will meet with his counterparts "to discuss how the United States can continue to partner with African countries to support continued democratic reform, respect for human rights, free trade, open investment regimes, and economic opportunity across the continent," it said.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice visited Africa recently, a sign that the United States pays increased attention to the strategic significance of the African continent.