Speeches 2006

Ambassador Michael L. Retzer Remarks at the American Independence Celebrations

Venue: American Embassy, Dar es Salaam

July 4, 2006

Your Excellency, Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Dr. Mary Nagu, our Guest of Honor

Honorable Ministers

Your Excellencies Ambassadors and High Commissioners

Distinguished Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Karibuni wote and thank you all for being here with us tonight to celebrate the 230^th Anniversary of American Independence! 

It is a great pleasure for me to welcome you to this beautiful setting to enjoy some good food, good company, and some outstanding American music.  We are lucky this evening to have with us a very talented group of musicians - The Ginger Lewis Band – led by Ms. Ginger Lewis. 

The group will be playing a uniquely American style of music called country and western.

We will wrap this evening’s festivities with a great fireworks display, so be sure to stay around for that.

As many of you know, this is my first opportunity to host the Independence Day celebration here in Dar es Salaam.  I arrived here last August, and after almost a year on the job, I am starting to feel that I am no longer a newcomer.

At any rate, over these past months I have developed a much greater understanding and appreciation for the challenges and opportunities in Tanzania.  From the first time that I visited Tanzania, as a tourist some twenty years ago, I was impressed with the welcoming friendliness of the people and the natural beauty of the landscape. 

I consider it a wonderful bit of luck for me to now return here to serve as the American Ambassador and to help work toward developing this country’s huge potential.

My arrival in Dar es Salaam came at an opportune moment in the country’s history, with President Kikwete assuming the Presidency and implementing many new and positive initiatives.  President Kikwete and his key leaders are demonstrating a commitment and a level of energy that is inspiring for Tanzanians and, indeed, for all of us who are here in Tanzania trying to bring about positive changes. 

I know that I speak for all of us when I compliment President Kikwete and his team on their dynamic leadership.

For our part here at the Embassy, in the past few years we have been investing significantly larger amounts of money and staff into saving and improving the lives of Tanzanians through programs including HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment, malaria prevention, education, economic development, and environmental management. 

President Bush’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, in particular, has allowed us to increase HIV/AIDS assistance here in Tanzania from less than 10 million dollars per year three years ago to well over 130 million dollars this year.  This is a huge increase and I am very proud of what my team and their Tanzanian counterparts have been able to accomplish with this funding. 

Shortly before I arrived in Tanzania, President Bush announced another major initiative that directly benefits Tanzania, the President’s Malaria Initiative or PMI. 

Under PMI, President Bush has allocated 1.2 billion dollars to dramatically reduce malaria as the major killer of children under five in sub-Saharan Africa.  Tanzania is one of only three countries to receive initial disbursements from this program. 

Through the use of treated bednets, spraying and preventative medicines, we are already seeing a dramatic reduction in the number of cases of malaria in many districts.  Again, I am extremely proud of what my team at the Embassy and their Tanzanian counterparts have been able to accomplish in just a very short time. 

Working closely with President Kikwete, Prime Minister Lowassa and other key leadership, we at the U.S. Embassy are also moving forward on many other important initiatives here in Tanzania. 

The most significant of these is the creation of a Millennium Challenge Compact, or MCC, between the U.S. and Tanzania to stimulate economic growth.  The MCC is another major initiative by President Bush, with over 4 billion dollars currently available, that has potential to greatly spur economic growth here in Tanzania.

A team of Tanzanians are currently developing a proposal for the MCC, which includes input from the private sector, NGO’s, and civil society.  It is my great hope that in the very near future I will be able to announce the details and funding levels of an MCC proposal for Tanzania. 

So, as you can see, this has been an exciting year to be a part of the American team in Tanzania.  And it is a pleasure to invite you all here tonight to share our excitement about what we are accomplishing in Tanzania and to celebrate U.S. Independence Day. 

At the ripe old age of 230, the United States is still considered a young country by many.  And it is true that we are still evolving and adapting to a changing world.  The threat of terrorism, in particular, has been a significant challenge to the United States and other freedom-loving countries around the world. 

Terrorists take advantage of the individual freedoms that we hold so dear in order to plot and carry out their horrible acts of destruction.  Let us never forget that the first chapter in the war on terror was fought right here in Dar es Salaam in August 1998 when terrorists blew up the previous American Embassy killing 11 Tanzanians.  This was a cowardly sneak attack that killed innocent civilians and injured countless Tanzanians and Americans.  We will never forget their sacrifice.

I am very proud that in spite of this continuing threat of terrorism and the significant resources it has required to protect Americans and others around the world from these increasingly random and horrific acts, the United States, under President Bush’s leadership, continues to create and fund large foreign assistance programs such as PEPFAR, PMI and MCC.

This I think is a real testament to the character of the United States and the people of America.  We are a strong nation that seeks to help others to strengthen themselves through better health care, better education, greater access to employment and stronger economic growth. 

These are the ideals our founding fathers set forth in the Declaration of Independence signed on July 4, 1776, and they are the ideals that are still guiding us as a nation on July 4, 2006. 

With that I would like to offer a toast to the friendship between the Tanzanian and American people and to the health of our Presidents—President Bush and President Kikwete.

And now I would like to turn over the podium for a few words from our esteemed guest of honor, Her Excellency Dr. Mary Nagu, Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs.  Thank you very much.