Africa News
Zimbabwe's state newspaper rounds on Britain's Brown
Sep 22, 2007, 10:51 GMT
Johannesburg/Harare - State media in Zimbabwe Saturday rounded on British Premier Gordon Brown for threatening to boycott a gathering of European and African leaders if President Robert Mugabe attends.
Zimbabwe's Herald daily, a government mouthpiece, claimed Brown was running scared of a confrontation with Mugabe at the EU-Africa summit due to be held in Lisbon in December.
'Instead of facing the prospect of losing the game at the hands of not only a former colony but a little African country, Brown has decided to hightail it,' the paper said in its leader article.
Writing in London's Independent newspaper this week, Brown said Mugabe was the only African leader banned from travelling to Europe, which he said was justified because the veteran Zimbabwean president was guilty of abusing his own people.
'I believe that President Mugabe's presence would undermine the summit, diverting attention from the important issues that need to be resolved,' Brown wrote.
But the Herald editorial called on Brown to be bold and be his own man.
'Mr Brown has nothing to fear from President Mugabe but has everything to gain by engaging in civilized dialogue that will eventually lead to an agreement over the bilateral dispute between the two countries,' it said.
Britain, along with the US, Australia and the EU accuse Mugabe's government of committing human rights abuses and rigging elections. The countries have slapped arms, financial and travel embargoes on Mugabe and his inner circle.
Mugabe's spokesman George Charamba, writing in his Saturday column in the Herald under his pseudonym Nathaniel Manheru weighed in.
'Communicating with fellow Europeans through the British press (Brown) clearly indicated British diplomacy had come unstuck. Clearly British diplomacy has foundered in its backyard, with Brown adopting for the rest of Europe Blair's odious megaphone diplomacy against Zimbabwe,' Manheru wrote.
'Mugabe stands very tall and black. Brown stands white and colonial. It is anyone's guess who carries world opinion,' he added.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-AgenturCOMMENT
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Older Talkback
page: 1
Africa is a lost cause. Mugabe is a nasty useless dictator in a continent that is full of nasty useless dictators.
On a CNN special report - the reporters gave a family in Zimbabwe a sack of corn meal and the family danced and sang in appreciation. Inflation is running at a rate of 6000% and could rise to 12000%.
The only place Mugabe stands tall is in his own mind - in the illusion entirely created by himself.
At least the people of Africa ate under colonial rule.
As in Sudan there are terrible atrocities being committed - and the worst thing they can say against Western governments is that they are colonialists.
Zimbabwe is a country that is starved of information - in an own goal Mugabe kicks out the whites farmers - without first educating the blacks on how best to look after the land. Now all but a few are hungry.
Black rule in Africa at present is worst than Apartheid. In fact because it is blacks treating blacks badly, there is not the kind of outrage expressed as was with South Africa. They have kicked out the Europeans, taken back their countries - and over the entire continent there has been very little to show in the way of achievements - with few exceptions.
Now that they have their freedoms - the world is going to hold them to the same standards as with any other country - hiding behind colonialism is no longer a viable excuse.
I cannot understand why the western countries don't bring pressure to bear on African countries by threatening the suspension all aid until Mugabe is toppled and a democratically elected government is in place in that God forsaken country. Part of the deal should be that all farms should be returned to their rightful owners. Only then will the country be able to feed it's citizens. If they thought they were going to be hit in their pockets, or have their own people protesting they may do something positive for a change.
'Mugabes mortorcade runs over a young child and proceeds on its merry way, not checking to see to the care of the child. another car in the motorcade allso runs over the child.' mugabe and his cronies are above the law and no one can do a thing.
page: 1
Sally NdholuSep 22nd, 2007 - 11:26:20
The Herald newspaper is really a zanupf prpaganda rag. It's full of lies and misinformation. As for brown running scared, as stated, I hear that he is actually going to do something about Robert Mugabe once and for all. Brown is no fool and that thug Mugabe is the last person in the world that Brown is scared of. The pity of it all is that the media continue to think that mugabe is funny and they love to see Mugabe grandstanding at venues such as the UN and EU-Africa conferences. Who cares about his victims any way.
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