Shultz Is Game, but His Van Isn’t : Safari Diplomacy Bogs Down in Kenya

Secretary of State George P. Shultz--wearing a khaki safari hat and a sometimes impatient look--watched for almost an hour Sunday as U.S. security agents, diplomats and Kenyan drivers tried to push his van out of a quagmire of sticky, black mud at the Masai Mara game reserve.

Shultz’s Toyota van skidded into a muddy rut shortly after he arrived at the sprawling park, which contains one of the world’s largest collections of free-roaming lions, elephants, zebras and other animals. Parts of the movie “Out of Africa” were shot at the preserve.

With the park’s dirt roads showing the effect of an overnight downpour, several of the vans carrying members of the Shultz party got stuck briefly. But, to the embarrassment of park officials, the VIP van was the only one that could not be extricated.

Sticky Symbolism

When a reporter asked if the scene was symbolic of U.S. foreign policy on Africa, Shultz replied, without much mirth, “Stuck in the mud, eh?”

When 15 or so volunteers were unable to push the van out of the quagmire, first one and then two other vehicles tried to pull it out. All failed.

While others worked, two State Department security agents--who performed the same function for the secretary of state that the Secret Service does for the President--stood by with shotguns at the ready on what they called “animal watch.” No animals approached, however.

After 48 minutes, Shultz and his wife, Helena, moved to another van and went on their way. The original vehicle was abandoned.

It was the only blemish on an otherwise relaxing Sunday in the game reserve. Once the caravan got under way, it maneuvered within 30 feet or so of several lions, including a mother with three cubs, circled grazing elephants and parked near herds of zebras and giraffes.

Dancing with Masai

Later, the secretary of state swayed to the beat of jungle drums with a troop of colorfully dressed Masai women dancers.

He returned from the dance carrying a beaded baton called a rungu , which he said he was told was the mark of leadership. A park official told reporters that the stick does, indeed, imply leadership because the leader can use it to knock people out of his way.

Helena Shultz was given a horsehair fly whisk, called a mkwisho, which Shultz said they were told was a sign of friendship.

Shultz made no pretext of working while at the park. He clearly was out to enjoy himself and, when he was not stuck in the mud, he seemed to do just that.

Shultz conferred with Kenyan President Daniel Arap Moi on Saturday but had no scheduled appointments on Sunday.

Nigeria Next Stop

The secretary of state is scheduled to leave Nairobi early this morning for Lagos and a daylong visit to Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation.

Once the success story of Africa, Nigeria’s economy took a sharp downturn with the fall of the world price of oil, its principal export. Nevertheless, Nigeria is the source of about 7% of U.S. oil imports, and business ties between the two countries remain strong.

Shultz is scheduled to return to Washington early Thursday after visits to Ivory Coast and Liberia.

But on Sunday, he had time to ponder more philosophical and less diplomatic questions.

Shultz asked a Kenyan park ranger, “Are zebras black animals with white stripes or white animals with black stripes?”

He received no immediate reply.