THE Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Lieutenant General (Retired) Dr Sibusiso Moyo says Zimbabwe is not and never has been an adversary of the United States of America.
In a statement after meeting the United States Ambassador to Zimbabwe Brian Nichols, Dr Moyo said even in the face of repeated interference in the country’s internal affairs, Zimbabwe has been unwavering in its support for Article 2 (4) of the United Nations Charter which expressly urges all member states to respect the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of other states.
“I informed the Ambassador that Zimbabwe seeks a normal, cooperative relationship with the USA based on mutual understanding, mutual respect and non-interference in each
other’s internal affairs: the very opposite of the characteristics voiced by Mr Obrien.
I informed the Ambassador that the Government of Zimbabwe derives no pleasure at all from the scenes of violence and hatred which have erupted in cities and towns across the USA,” said Moyo.
Moyo said Zimbabwe added its voice to the many others including that of the African Union and the United Nations who have expressed their deep concern at the killing by a uniformed white police officer, Mr George Floyd- an unarmed, handcuffed, helpless black man- we unreservedly condemn the violence, arson and looting which have turned usually quiet neighbourhoods into scenes of chaos while further innocent lives have been lost.
“We take due note of the measures deployed by the US authorities to deal with the
challenges currently confronting them. The Government of Zimbabwe notes, with astonishment and concern, the comments made by Robert O’Brien. US National Security Advisor, which characterised Zimbabwe as “an adversary of the United States and which named our country as one seeking to take advantage of the current unrest situation in the US in order to “sow discord and to try to damage our democracy,” he said.
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister also told the US diplomat based in Zimbabwe that Mr Obrien’s allegations are false, without any factual foundation whatsoever and that they are deeply damaging to a relationship already complicated by years of prescriptive megaphone diplomacy and punitive economic sanctions.
“At the same time, we recall the harsh US criticism and condemnation of our own response to multiple instances of illegal violent, civil unrest incited largely by opposition political formations determined to render the country ungovernable; we recall their automatic presumption of state culpability in instances of the alleged abduction, and their assumption of an institutionalised disregard for human rights or rule of law within our Government, and we reflect on the lack of balance and even the double standards so evident in US policy towards Zimbabwe,” he said.
Moyo notes that bilateral relations with the USA going forward are that the USA might take a more even-handed and less prescriptive approach; that it might acknowledge the reform efforts and progress being made by the New Dispensation very significant challenges notwithstanding- and that it might seek to engage in a more open dialogue about how governments can work together for the benefit of both nations and peoples.
