Campaign to isolate Zimbabwe dealt blow
Posted: Friday, October 11, 2002Presidential Reporter
THE international campaign to isolate Zimbabwe and not to recognise the reelection of President Mugabe in March this year, continues to crumble with several European and North American countries accrediting new envoys to Zimbabwe.
New envoys from Norway, Austria and Canada — whose countries had earlier said they did not recognise the outcome of the March presidential election — yesterday presented their credentials to President Mugabe at State House.
The new High Commissioner for Canada, Mr John Schram and incoming Austrian ambassador, Mr Mag Michael Brunner, pledged to work towards improving ties between Zimbabwe and their countries.
"Your Excellency, may I present to you the letters of recall of my predecessor and present letters by which my President . . . accredits me as ambassador to the Republic of Zimbabwe," said Mr Brunner when he presented his credentials to Cde Mugabe.
Mr Schram also read a similar citation.
Also presenting their credentials yesterday, were the new Pakistani High Commissioner to Zimbabwe, Mr Khalid Aziz Baba, incoming Iranian ambassador Mr Hamid Moayyer and Mr Kjell Storlokken of Norway.
Mr Brunner told reporters soon after meeting Cde Mugabe that as a member of the EU, the position of the Union and that of Austria towards Zimbabwe "are well known".
Asked to comment on the fact that the EU had said it did not recognise Cde Mugabe’s re-election and yet as a member of that organisation, his country had sent him to Harare where he had just presented his credentials to the President, Mr Brunner said: "I will do my best to improve the relations. The Greek ambassador was here (at State House where he also presented his credentials recently), and now me.
"Here you are member of the European Union, here you are an autonomous State. So as long as we have an embassy here, we will continue to have bilateral relations."
Diplomatic sources, however, said bilateral relations between Austria and Zimbabwe were cordial as evidenced by the participation of firms from that country at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair in April this year.
A cultural and musical group from Austria also took part in the jazz festival held at the Borrowdale Race Course in Harare recently.
The sources said the EU stance on Zimbabwe had largely been influenced by the British government of Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Bilateral relations between Harare and London have been frosty ever since Mr Blair reneged on a promise by his predecessors to fund land reforms in Zimbabwe.
The incoming Canadian High Commissioner said he hoped that relations between his country and Zimbabwe would strengthen during the four years that he would be in Harare.
He said his country had set aside $11 million for food aid to Zimbabwe and was ready to offer assistance in agriculture, food and training.
Mr Schram, however, denied that his country had taken a stance similar to that of the EU against Zimbabwe.
"What we are doing is to continue to work with Sadc and the Commonwealth in a way that can be helpful to the people of Zimbabwe.
"Canada has been working with the Commonwealth and our African partners in the Commonwealth and we believe land reform is central and can be done in a way that will ensure food production," he said.
Canada, together with Australia and New Zealand have largely been seen as siding with Britain in a campaign to demonise Zimbabwe.
However, their efforts to isolate Zimbabwe failed at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Coolum early this year when African members voiced their support for Harare.
Sources who attended the meeting between Mr Schram and Cde Mugabe yesterday said the President had urged the Canadians not to continue siding with Britain in a bilateral issue between Harare and London over land reforms.
"We are dismayed Canada had to go the way of Britain. We would expect you to read us well and project us as best as you can and where we have gone wrong, point it out (but) not in the Blair way.
"Engage us in the normal Canadian way. The politics of deception that have no essence of honesty we don’t accept," the sources quoted Cde Mugabe as saying.
They said Mr Schram and the President discussed the good relations that existed between the two countries in the 1980s and early 1990s when Canada used to provide training scholarships to Zimbabweans.
Cde Mugabe hoped that this would be revived.
Mr Storlokken of Norway told reporters after meeting the President that there had been strong links between his country and Zimbabwe since independence.
He said Norway was currently engaged in drought relief operations in the region and was moving food from South African ports into Zimbabwe.
Responding to allegations that some Non-Governmental Organisations from Norway were engaging in the internal politics of Zimbabwe, Mr Storlokken said he believed that while civic organisations played a crucial role in societies, they should abide "by the laws of the land".
Pakistani’s incoming envoy, Mr Baba, and the President discussed the excellent bilateral relations between Pakistan and Zimbabwe dating back to the days of the liberation struggle and through the early years of independence when Islamabad helped in the training of Zimbabwean pilots and provided equipment for the airforce.
The Asian nation also provided scholarships to Zimbabwean students in foreign services, international banking and finance, mining, telecommunications and defence.
Mr Moayyer pledged to follow up various agreements signed between Zimbabwe and Iran to "assist brothers and sisters who are very friendly people".
"In Iran, we admire the resistance of brothers and sisters here in Zimbabwe and hope that you will succeed and have more development in this country. In this field (of land reform) we are ready to assist them," he said.
Iran has expressed its readiness to help Zimbabwe in agricultural research, livestock breeding, fisheries and irrigation.
A Zimbabwe/Iran joint economic commission convened in Tehran in August and was attended by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cde Stan Mudenge, the Minister of State for Information and Publicity, Professor Jonathan Moyo, and the Minister of Lands, Agriculture and Rural Resettlement, Cde Joseph Made.
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