Compensate white farmers first, Denmark

via Compensate white farmers first, Denmark. 06 November 2014 by Xinhua

THE Danish government is ready to engage and normalise ties with Zimbabwe provided the country addresses human rights and governance issues as well as compensate white farmers who were dispossesed of their land during the land reform programme, a visiting Danish minister said Thursday.

“We strongly believe in human rights, that’s the base of our co-operation with these countries, Zimbabwe included,” Danish trade and cooperation minister Morgens Jensen told journalists after meeting Zimbabwe’s Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa.

The reforms, he said, include addressing the debt issue and full implementation of the constitution, areas which he said Denmark was ready to offer assistance.

“Denmark is prepared to work with the government of Zimbabwe and multilateral financial institutions in order to seek a solution. Debt relief is not easy and it will require reforms in different areas,” he said.

He said Zimbabwe must clarify its indigenisation policy in order to attract foreign direct investment, adding Denmark would promote Zimbabwe as an investment destination once the clarification has been done.

Denmark was ready to provide support in areas such as agriculture, energy, justice delivery and infrastructure development, he said.

Chinamasa reassured that the Zimbabwe government would clarify its indigenisation law requiring foreigners to cede majority shareholding to locals and compensate white farmers for improvements on the acquired farms once funds were available.

“Under our constitution we have obligation to compensate white farmers for improvements. If there is any failure at the moment it is the same failure that we have to service our debt.

Jensen is on a three-day working visit to Zimbabwe, the first such visit by a high-level Danish government official in years as both the country and the European Union moves to mend decade-long strained ties with the southern African country.