Kerry to visit Ethiopia, Congo and Angola next week

Reuters
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry delivers a statement on Ukraine from the State Department press briefing room in Washington April 24, 2014. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will travel to Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola from April 29 to May 5 to promote democracy and human rights, the State Department said on Friday. Kerry will meet with Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn and Foreign Minister Tedros Adhanom in Addis Ababa to discuss peace efforts in the region and strengthen ties with Ethiopia, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement. "In Kinshasa, Secretary Kerry will meet with President Joseph Kabila and will discuss how the DRC government's progress in neutralizing some of the dozens of dangerous armed groups that victimize the Congolese people can be consolidated and how to best advance the DRC's democratization and long-term stability, including through a timely and transparent electoral process," she said. Kerry will meet Angolan President José Eduardo dos Santos in Luanda to commend him on his engagement in the peace process in Africa's Great Lakes region, Psaki added.