CRIS CHINAKA, Harare | Thursday
ZIMBABWE has accused Britain of trying to poison its relations with the European Union (EU) by opposing contacts with President Robert Mugabe, and said London could close its embassy in Harare if it did not want dialogue.
Briefing Harare-based foreign diplomats, Foreign Minister Stan Mudenge said London’s attempts to stop France and Belgium from talking to Mugabe last week smacked of racism, which could harm what he termed cordial race relations in Zimbabwe if Europe appeared to be ganging up against Mugabe.
In a betrayal of anger, Mudenge bellowed to more than 50 diplomats including British High Commissioner Peter Longworth, who sat through it without showing any emotion: ”Why are you [Britain] not angry when we meet leaders in Asia, Central America and Africa? For God’s sake, let’s not be racist.
”We are anxious to dialogue with everybody but if we start boycotting each other, sanction each other, for Christ’s sake you may as well get out of here. If you are not willing to help you might as well get out of this country,” he added.
Longworth was unavailable for comment after the briefing, which was open to journalists.
Mudenge said Zimbabwe was trying to win international support in efforts to resolve its pressing economic and political problems but former colonial master Britain had launched a campaign in the European Union to isolate it.
French President Jacques Chirac met Mugabe in Paris on March 6 in a visit slammed by opponents as undermining attempts led by Britain to isolate the veteran 77-year-old Zimbabwean leader.
The Zimbabwean government celebrated Mugabe’s meetings and his talks with Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt the day before as a diplomatic triumph against Britain.
Talking about the occupation of hundreds of farms by self-styled war veterans, Mudenge repeated a government line that it would eventually implement land redistribution programme in a lawful manner. – Reuters
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