South Africa is one of the major political powerhouses in Africa that US President Barack Obama's administration will lobby to support the Command for Africa (Africom) programme. The US claims to have the backing of Egypt and Kenya, which are considered influential states on the continent. The Bush administration wants to locate its strategic military functions in Africa through Africom, saying this will strengthen the base for the US's platform to contribute to social, economic and relief work. During former p resident Thabo Mbeki's time in office, Africom was met with scepticism by some members of the African Union (AU). SA led the Southern African Development Community's (Sadc's) position against co-operating with the US on what was believed to be the militarisation of American foreign policy and aid. The Obama administration believes that with the Bush administration out of the picture and a new leadership in SA , the attitude towards the US in general has changed. Briefing the foreign press in Washington this week on the revival and repackaging of Africom, which is central to US antiterrorism and antidrug-smuggling strategies, the deputy director of civil-military affairs in Africom, Mary Yates, admits that great scepticism existed in the past. "It (the strategy) didn't get rolled out very well. And you know, when you work in Africa, consultation is an important thing. You'd better go and listen and have about 10 cups of tea. And that probably did not occur." She says the whole dialogue has now shifted but there are still "doubting Thomases". "We still have to continue to prove that what we chose to do in our reorganisation (of US foreign policy) is going to be value-adding for our African partners." The US continues to see the continent as a strategic partner, especially those countries that have taken on the responsibility to defend multiparty democracies and help their regions reach sustainable economic growth. Political analyst Prof Shadrack Gutto says the prospect of a US base to fight terrorism, among other objectives, does not appeal to the entire AU. The body wants to avoid the continent becoming yet another battleground for superpowers such as China and Russia, which might want to follow the US strategy. Gutto says the Obama administration would be welcome if it separated the condition for military co-operation from trade links and socioeconomic development. Yates says Africom has tabled proposals to several African countries. The US believes that Africa has grown in importance and prominence, particularly in the fight against terrorism. She says the African nations that are the leaders in trying to bring peace and stability to the region are the ones that naturally show up on the US radar to be its first partners. The US will favour such states when it comes to advancing its programmes and funding. Yates says the Sadc countries that the US has visited recently include Angola and Mozambique, which she describes as playing a stronger leadership role in Sadc . She says the Sadc region is aware of a growing narcotics problem , and is interested in developing a stronger maritime relationship among member states and with the US. The US believes there will be an increasing number of African countries buying into the Africom concept. After talking separately to most countries, the US realises that these countries would like to be able to employ capable military forces, to strengthen their own security institutions, be able to support international peace efforts and peacekeeping, and have the ability to deter and defeat threats. Source: IRIN