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President Donald Trump has said he “deeply respects” the people of Africa in the wake of his reported “s***hole countries” comments.
The US president said this in a letter to 55 African country’s leaders, according to The Independent UK.
The leaders are gathering for an African Union (AU) summit this weekend in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa.
US diplomats have scrambled for weeks to address the fallout from Trump’s remarks, allegedly made during an immigration meeting earlier this month.
Mr Trump has denied using the phrase, but admitted the meeting was “tough”. Others present have said he did use it.
The US President met with Paul Kagame, his opposite number in Rwanda, at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Friday.
Mr Kagame said the pair had had “good discussions” on economic and trade issues, and that the African Union was “looking forward to working with the United States.”
Mr Trump said it had been “an honour” to meet the incoming AU leader.
The 55-nation continental body’s summit is expected to respond to Trump’s vulgar remark, having said previously it was “frankly alarmed” by his language.