New York -- The meeting between President Yoweri Museveni and U.S. President George W. Bush Saturday was marked by agreement on all issues, Uganda’s ambassador to the U.S. Edith Ssempala told The Monitor. "President Bush was in a very good mood," she added.

At the 30-minute meeting at the U.S. mission to the United Nations, the two presidents agreed on their approach to terrorism, and also that trade was essential for Africa to move forward, Ssempala said. She also reported that Bush commended Museveni on his role in curbing the spread of HIV/AIDS in Uganda, and asked Museveni to brief him on his strategy in fighting the epidemic.

The presidents also discussed regional matters, Ssempala said. Bush applauded Museveni on efforts being taken to normalize relations between Uganda and Rwanda. Bush was also quite interested in Sudan. Museveni described the Khartoum government’s ambitious project "to turn people who are black into Arabs," Ssempala said.

She said that while Museveni is generally against the Balkanization of Africa, and would prefer not to see Northern and Southern Sudan separate, a split may be necessary if the North will not treat Southerners as equal citizens. "You can’t refuse to divorce and also refuse to mistreat," Ssempala said.

According to Ssempala, Bush had long wanted to meet with Museveni to discuss Sudan and trade. She said the two were originally scheduled to meet during the Special Session of the UN General Assembly on Children scheduled for September 19-21. But that session was postponed indefinitely because of the terrorist attacks on New York City.

On Sunday, Museveni met with United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan to discuss regional security issues, particularly concerning Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo. They also briefly discussed Museveni’s meeting with Rwandan President Paul Kagame in London, according to a UN spokesman.

At the Museveni/Bush meeting, the U.S. delegation included Secretary of State Colin Powell, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card, the US ambassador to Uganda, Martin Brennan, Special Assistant to President George Bush and Senior Director for Africa on the National Security Council Dr. Jendayi Frazer, and the assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Walter Kansteiner.

The Ugandan delegation included Ssempala, 3rd Deputy Premier/Foreign Affairs Minister James Wapakhabulo, Defence Minister Amama Mbabazi, presidential advisor on political affairs Martin Aliker, and Uganda’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ssemakula Kiwanuka.