Washington, Sha'ban 29, 1432, Jul 30, 2011, SPA - U.S. President Barack Obama pledged Friday that the United States would remain the “stalwart partner” of democracies in Africa, as he called for global aid for famine victims in the continent’s east. Obama was speaking after talks at the White House with the leaders of four African nations-the new president of Ivory Coast, Alassane Ouattara; Benin’s President Boni Yayi, President Alpha Conde of Guinea, and President Mahamadou Issoufou of Niger. “I emphasized that the United States has been and will continue to be a stalwart partner with them in this process of democratization and development,” Obama told reporters. The leaders discussed the devastating famine in the drought-stricken Horn of Africa, which had not been given “as much attention here in the United States as it deserves,” Obama said. --SPA 11:01 LOCAL TIME 08:01 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/914592