British Ambassador under fire

Source: British Ambassador under fire | The Sunday Mail September 24, 2016

Britain continues its stance to further scuttle any economic re-engagement with Zimbabwe with parliamentarians in London seething with anger after their Ambassador in Harare arranged a meeting between Government and a British businessman.

The Sunday Mail has gathered that the chief diplomat to Zimbabwe, Ambassador Catriona Liang, has come under fire for her role in facilitating former United Kingdom cabinet minister Lord Peter Benjamin Mandelson’s visit to Zimbabwe early this year.

Lord Mandelson visited Zimbabwe to thrash out a deal to provide private financial assistance for Zimbabwe to raise over US$1 billion needed to repay arrears to international finance lending institutions that include the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

The Briton met Finance and Economic Development Minister Patrick Chinamasa among other key Government economic officials

The visit was made possible by Ambassador Liang’s office, leading to a tentative arrangement for Lord Mandelson to assist Zimbabwean authorities raise the bail-out package.

Lord Mandelson heads Lazard, a New York Stock Exchange-listed financier.

Ambassador Liang’s role has however irked a number of British parliamentarians who argue that her conduct was contrary to the British government’s position to block any direct financial assistance to Harare.

Ms Liang, an economist, has spent much of her career in Africa serving in Botswana, Kenya, Sudan and Somalia.

Clearance of the arrears will see Zimbabwe becoming eligible for accessing new funding from the Bretton Woods institutions.

During a recent question and answer session in the British Upper House — the House of Lords — several British MPs took senior minister and former Scottish leader, Baroness Goldie to task over the role of Ambassador Liang in arranging the Harare meeting.

During the session, Liberal Democrats representative, Baroness Falkner of Margravine made it clear that Ambassador Liang was out of line in facilitating the visit.

“My Lords, perhaps I may draw the noble Baroness’s attention to the original point of this question,” Baroness Falkner said.

“I myself have benefited from facilitation by our embassies and missions abroad, as many other Members of the House of Lords may have done.

“However, does she not accept that there was a slight error of judgment on the part of our high commissioner in Zimbabwe in facilitating a well-known lobbying group to carry out business on behalf of a financial institution with a Government who are legendary only for their human rights abuses and deep financial corruption?”

In response, Baroness Annabel Goldie, who was responding on behalf of the British government, admitted that Ambassador Liang facilitated the meeting.

“If the noble Baroness is alluding to the reference by the noble Lord, Lord Oates, to the visit by the noble Lord, Lord Mandelson, I should make it clear that the noble Lord visited Zimbabwe in a personal capacity in February of this year. He had been in a private engagement in South Africa,” Baroness Goldie said.

“He simply asked the British government if he could be helpful in promoting their objectives in Zimbabwe and, given his experience, our government said that he could reinforce the case for reform, which I think is what we all want to see.

“To that end, the British embassy in Harare facilitated the meeting, which was attended by the British Ambassador.

“It was constructive and focused on the need for economic and rule-of-law forms. That is precisely the kind of dialogue that is essential if we are to see any progress made,” she said.

Earlier, Lord Oates had also taken Minister Goldie to task over the role of the British Embassy in arranging the Harare meeting.

He said: “I am grateful to the minister for her answer. She will be aware of the deep disquiet among people in Zimbabwe at the news that the British embassy in Harare had facilitated a meeting this year between the noble Lord, Lord Mandelson, chairman of Lazard International, and Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa.

“Will the minister therefore give an unambiguous statement to this House, and more importantly to the Zanu-PF regime, that we as a people and a government will oppose any further funds to the Zimbabwean Government until they have demonstrated a sustained adherence to the Constitution of Zimbabwe and an end to the gross human rights abuses of the people of Zimbabwe?”

In response, Baroness Goldie admitted that, “I should point out to the noble Lord that we have an ambassadorial presence in Harare, and that is very important. It is a necessary diplomatic conduit for the work that the British Government do, not in funding the Zimbabwean Government but, for example, in providing invaluable help for infrastructure projects by working with implementing partners and NGOs.

“However, at the end of the day, what other financial institutions choose to do with a foreign government is not really under the control of the British Government.”

A statement released by the British Embassy in Harare in the wake of the visit last month read: “Lord Mandelson visited Zimbabwe as an extension of a private visit in South Africa. Lord Mandelson asked the Foreign and Commonwealth Office if he could be of assistance in promoting UK government objectives in Zimbabwe.

“Given Lord Mandelson’s experience as a senior UK minister and European Union Commissioner for Trade, we agreed he could help reinforce the case for economic reform with the Government of Zimbabwe.

“To this end, the British Embassy in Harare facilitated a meeting with Finance Minister, Patrick Chinamasa, at which Lord Mandelson was accompanied by the British ambassador.”

Lord Mandelson was later ordered by the British Parliament to explain his visit to Zimbabwe.

British newspaper The Telegraph quoted Labour MP and chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Zimbabwe, Kate Hoey, saying Lord Mandelson will be asked to disclose whether the British Foreign Office paid for his visit to Harare and what was discussed during the meetings with Minister Chinamsa.

She said: “I think it is important for the Foreign Office to be open and transparent about who paid for Lord Mandelson’s trip and what involvement they had in making it happen.

“They should also explain why the British Ambassador arranged for him to see the Zimbabwean Finance Minister and accompanied him to his meeting.

“In particular, there should be openness about why and what capacity Lord Mandelson met the Finance Minister – and what, if anything, came out of that meeting.”

The African Export-Import Bank and Lazard are mobilising US$1,1 billion to help Zimbabwe clear its arrears with the World Bank.

Zimbabwe owes external creditors about US$10 billion, with arrears to the World Bank, African Development Bank and IMF at US$1,15 billion, US$600 million and US$110 million respectively.

The three global financiers want Zimbabwe to settle these arrears.