The US Assistant Secretary of State for Africa, Dr. Jonnie Carson has commended Uganda's peace building and the exemplary work of the Uganda People’s Defense Forces in Somalia.
Carson, who paid a courtesy call on Vice President Edward Ssekandi at the Uganda Mission in New York on Thursday, also recalled with appreciation the decisive manner in which Uganda dealt with Joseph Kony’s LRA rebellion.
Ssekandi is in New York where he represented President Yoweri Museveni at the opening of the 66th United Nations General Assembly. He requested the US Government to give more support to the Somalia peace efforts so that what is achieved so far is sustained.
Uganda maintains troops in Somalia after deploying there to support a UN-backed transitional government in the war-torn country.
The meeting was attended by foreign affairs minister Sam Kutesa, Permanent secretary James Mugume and Deputy Head of Mission, Adonia Ayebale.
On Wednesday, Sekandi also met a group of American cancer experts who will be coming to Uganda in October to head a fight against cancer through public awareness and treatment.
The experts are to work in collaboration with the Uganda Cancer Institute which they plan to renovate before training collaborators to start a campaign codenamed "Stand up to Cancer".
These experts work with the Transnational Research in Oncology, a none profit clinical research organisation.
