via US upholds Mugabe ban from Obama meet 08/02/2014 NewZimbabwe
THE US government has said it was under no pressure to reconsider its decision to omit President Robert Mugabe from the landmark US-Africa summit in August.
The gathering will seek to widen Washington’s trade, development and security ties with the African continent.
Mugabe, banned from travelling to the US over allegations of rights abuses and electoral fraud, was excluded from the list of 47 African leaders invited to the summit by US President Barack Obama.
But the crafty Zimbabwean leader, also banned from travelling to Europe, recently forced the European Union (EU) to invite him to Brussels for April’s EU-African Union summit after African leaders threatened to boycott the gathering if Mugabe was not welcome.
However, US ambassador to Zimbabwe Bruce Wharton said Mugabe’s exclusion was “a very conscious decision” by Washington and any plans to revise it would not be influenced by events in Europe.
“Those are decisions made by the EU but not by the United States,” Ambassador Wharton said on the side-lines of a donation ceremony for anti-HIV/Aids programmes in the country.
Wharton however said it was within the prerogative of the White House to revise its decisions and “it would be a mistake for me to try and predict the sort of decisions that the White House would make”.
The US diplomat said his country’s decision not to invite Mugabe to Washington was linked to the controversial conduct of last year’s elections which saw the 90 year-old leader register a thumping victory over bitter rival Morgan Tsvangirai and two other presidential hopefuls.
“The same issues that were raised in the AU report, the SADC report and the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission report, the irregularities in the electoral process prevented us from saying we thought that it was a credible expression of the will of the people of Zimbabwe so that’s the fundamental problem.”
Ambassador Wharton gave his support to the current push by the opposition towards the establishment of another unity government in Zimbabwe adding that it was up to the political protagonists to initiate dialogue among themselves as opposed to waiting for help from outsiders.
“I think that dialogue and engagement are essential. People need to understand each other. They need to understand their positions and that’s a critical step towards building a national consensus or an international consensus on anything,” he said.
“If the people of Zimbabwe need or wish to have a dialogue then it’s going to be up to the actors to players in Zimbabwe to create the space for that dialogue and have it.”
The Tsvangirai led MDC has, in the past few days, been calling for a broad-based national dialogue to rescue the country from a looming economic catastrophe.
The opposition insists Mugabe and his Zanu PF were “clueless” on how to reverse the country’s economic decline after this year’s government expenditure took off on a deficit while companies continue to shut down, throwing thousands out of formal employment.
COMMENTS
The media, but especially our biased and very one sided State controlled media not only distorts the truth but somehow successfully manages to focus everyone’s attention away from the real issues facing our beleaguered nation. Nobody, least of all the US nor any of those other Western countries have any right whatsoever to interfere in our domestic affairs and this is something all of us must fiercely challenge. That being said, SADC and the AU have also not been fair or just by promoting a leader such as Mugabe, a man responsible for so much pain, suffering and the economic ruin of our nation to such high status within the AU. It is wrong! How does this bode for our future?
The Americans appear less confused than the Europeans.
@ Gumbo, u started well, just like Wharton (is it wathogg?) That noboddy must interfer with “domestic issues”. Yu aired by expecting AU and SADC to be “fair”. A cople of issues already, NIKUV, playing a crucial role in rigging is non-domestic; so is China and AU
Ephraim Gumbo mwana webvu chaiye. Good straight thinking mfowethu. I even see hypocricy in the US calling for a Unity government. Based on what? Which opposition apart from the MDC-T said they want a unity government with Zanupf? I like how Thomas puts it. The Americans are less confused than the Europeans but these people are somehow confused about the Zimbabwean situation. It was their creation and they still have certain interests to protect so today its this cry, tomorrow it will that one.
Well done the Yanks, rub the swines nose in it. The EU are spineless and too scared of upsettin g the other bootlickers.
God Bless you President Obama!
Ephrain, sure Zimbos must sort out their own internal problems but when one side is unyielding there is no problem in getting outside help from interested parties or countries, is’nt this what Mugabe did during the liberation struggle…?
…or during the last election rigging.
True Munzwa but these U S are not doing anything. Zanupf Ministers can send their children to the US to do any business on behalf of their parents. I wonder what they hope to achieve by saying “we do not want to work with the president but we will help the citizens by teaching them development”. Is that not inciting the citizens to revolt against the lkeadership? The countries that helped Mugabe and Joshua Nkomo openly told Smith that he was wrong and the took effective measures and not what these Americans are doing. I know people have always attacked me for this but sanctions on Mugabe and a few individuals while their children can go in and out of the U S and then the US ambassador goes everywhere in Zimbabwe talking development seems a real confusion. That is why we hopelessly suffer. As for the EU some of those countries are poor also. They cant do without Zimbabwe especially Zanupf. That is why they keep on changing now and again.
What else can stupid African leaders do.
You can do business with who you want Obama Does not want to do business with Zimbabwe so why invite him to the party.
there is nothing we can offer except how to steal and that is exactly what would happen.
EU they also know but why cut your nose to spite your face let him come but Ignore him and any deals they will fall through.
Accept or not, Mugabe and Obama are brothers, they are fifth boys from Adam to Sheath; Sheath to Noah; Noah to Ham and then Ham delivered five; 1. Nigeria, 2. Egypt, 3. Ethiopia, 4. Hajara and 5. Issa, this Issa delivered only one boy called Sudan/Daud, Sudan married two wives, the old one delivered two boys who are Musa that means Uganda and Ali that means Tanzania; the young wife delivered as well two boys called Hassan that means Zimbabwe and Hussein that means either Kenya/Obama, so whether you insult Africans or not, they have their own parental lineage, they were obedient to their parents which is Noah while all others were disobedient to their parents and it was 6666 years ago; that is the reason of all black people including the ones in America were blessed the resourceful lands, others were cursed in non-resourceful lands, example the name of ‘Africa’ drop the ‘f’ and put in ‘me’ that will be America, of course the name of America is from Africa.
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