On the first stop of a six-nation, 11-day African tour, Clinton came to the capital of the first sub-Saharan nation to win independence and predicted that a region long marked by disease, dissension and dependency is poised for "the beginning of a new African renaissance."
Ghanaians applauded politely at Clinton's words, at least those who heard them from loudspeakers that blared in a tinny echo across Independence Square. But most of the crowd - a boisterous throng that the Ghanaian government claimed was over a half-million strong - seemed less interested in hearing Clinton than simply seeing him. Over and over, people craning their necks toward the stage said they considered it
nearly beyond belief that a U.S. president was on their soil.
The welcome was uncritical but hardly unblemished. As the temperature rose into the high 90s, people who had been standing for hours with no water began to fall to the ground by scores.
The agreement was seen as an important first step in restoring Albanian rights and a rare positive gesture amid a deadly police crackdown on Albanian separatists. But numerous education issues were left unresolved, and resistance from Serbs was instantaneous.
03-24-98
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