Maravi

US plot doomed to fail: Govt

US plot doomed to fail: Govt
Herald Reporter

THE United States’ plot to unseat President Mugabe and the legitimate Zimbabwean Government is doomed to fail, Information and Publicity Minister Dr Sikhanyiso Ndlovu said yesterday. Dr Ndlovu said reports in the local and international media that Washington openly admitted funding and actively working with the opposition MDC and other civic groups to topple President Mugabe were not surprising as this had been known since the formation of opposition party in 1999.

In the Washington report entitled "Supporting Human Rights and Democracy: US Record 2006", released last week, the US State Department gives details of at least eight planks it is using in its doomed attempt to overthrow President Mugabe’s Government. The report reveals clearly how the US government is actively working to undermine the Zimbabwean Government. The efforts are camouflaged as measures to foster "democracy and human rights".

The US government says its approach is three-fold: "To maintain pressure on the Mugabe regime; to strengthen democratic forces; and to provide humanitarian aid for those left vulnerable by poor governance."

But Dr Ndlovu said the Americans’ bid to effect regime change was bound to fail and the Government would do everything to defend Zimbabwe’s sovereignty. "This is not news. We have always said the US was supporting the MDC. They helped form it and funded it," said Dr Ndlovu. "We have reports of many meetings held between Mr Morgan Tsvangirai of MDC and his masters at Harvest House."

Dr Ndlovu said Mr Tsvangirai, leader of the main faction, and his senior officers had been to the United Kingdom and European Union calling for illegal sanctions against Zimbabwe. "It all started when we were repossessing land from the white farmers," he said.

The minister said Mr Tsvangirai was seen on television worldwide receiving cheques from whites when he promised to return them the land taken by the Government once he got into power. "I must say at that time MDC were not as violent as they are now. They were still under the disguise of a political party," he said.

Dr Ndlovu said violence escalated when the party split and the arrival of Professor Arthur Mutambara to lead the splinter group. When the party split, he said, violence within the MDC reared its ugly head as evidenced by the attacks on legislators Mr Job Sikhala and Ms Trudy Stevenson by supporters aligned to the Tsvangirai faction.

Dr Ndlovu said the EU met to consider the renewal of sanctions against Zimbabwe at a time the MDC was heightening its violence campaign. The orgy of violence was meant to attract attention when the Government acts and get Zimbabwe onto the agenda of the United Nations but this failed dismally.

He said before the Extraordinary Sadc Summit in Tanzania last month, the MDC, through its masters, stepped up its violent activities, which were then blamed on the Government by the opposition and its Western allies.

The violence, he said, was used to justify the renewal and the widening of the illegal sanctions against Zimbabwe. "All the violence and acts of terrorism were a prelude to these meetings. However, all their efforts were put to shame by Sadc which pledged its support for Zimbabwe and appealed to the West not to interfere in the internal affairs of fellow sovereignty states," he said.

Sadc also appealed to the EU and Britain to lift sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe. The Sadc leaders also asked the British government to honour the promise to pay compensation to commercial farmers whose farms were acquired for resettlement in terms of the Lancaster House Agreement.

Britain has reneged on its colonial obligation to help fund land reform.

Dr Ndlovu said the MDC masters were creating the so-called crisis organising campaigns under the guise of the so-called Save Zimbabwe Campaign and human rights. "To us, it’s not a surprise. People in Zimbabwe know that the hardships they are facing are due to the illegal sanctions. "The sanctions have deprived them of balance of payment support through the International Monetary Fund, (and) lack of investment support because of threats by US to companies, international financial institutions which want to invest in Zimbabwe," he said.

Dr Ndlovu said the US was supporting a terrorist movement in Zimbabwe when it knew from the September 11 2001 experience how grave terror attacks were. "This is what they are sponsoring here. When the bombings are done by their stoogies they are happy."

The minister said Zimbabweans should not lose sight of the fact that the Government has put in place measures to increase fuel outflow and directed oil companies not to overcharge fuel. "We want to make it possible for workers to go to work," he said.

"The Government also put in place measures (so) that (prices of) basic commodities are not arbitrarily increased while the input costs of manufacturing of commodities are also reduced."

He said the Government was working on the social contract to stabilise the economy.

Labels: MUGABE, ZIMBABWE

posted by MrK @ 1:59 PM