Maravi

We'll not allow US military bases here - Levy

We'll not allow US military bases here - Levy
By Brighton Phiri and Chibaula Silwamba
Saturday September 01, 2007 [04:00]

PRESIDENT Levy Mwanawasa yesterday declared that his government would not give the United States of America sanctuary to establish its military base in Zambia. Speaking before his departure for Swaziland where he is expected to officially open that country's International Trade Fair and attend the annual Umhlanga (reed Dance) ceremony, President Mwanawasa said Zambia was not supportive of the US' intention to establish its Africa Command (Africom) on the continent.

President Mwanawasa, who is also Southern African Development Community (SADC) chairman, disclosed that none of the SADC countries were interested in the US' intention to establish its military base in Africa.

"Each country has sovereignty to decide on that, but we will not as Zambia. We will not give them sanctuary. I think I can speak on behalf of the SADC region, and none of us is interested," said President Mwanawasa.

University of Zambia political science lecturer Dr Neo Simutanyi advised the Zambian government and other African countries to resist joining the US Africom. Dr Simutanyi said there was no need for African governments to succumb to the United States' persuasion because the US has never had a good record of peacekeeping.

"There is no need for Africans to be part of Africom. I support Africans forming their own forces for peace keeping," Dr Simutanyi said.

He said the African Union was working on the African force that would keep peace in the continent with the help of the United Nations.

"Africans are putting up their own initiatives of peace-keeping and that should be appreciated," said Dr Simutanyi.

South Africa's defence minister Mosiuoa Lekota has also declared that Africom should stay out of Africa.

On Wednesday South Africa's News24 quoted Lekota as saying: "There's a certain sense in the countries of our region SADC that if there was to be an influx of armed forces into one or other of the African countries, that might affect the relations between the sister countries, and not encourage an atmosphere, or in a sense, of security."

Lekota said Africom was not really a new development, as the US had always had some kind of focus on the African continent.

"But, the Africom initiative has raised a lot of interest and a lot of attention, because at some point, there is a certain sense that Africa has to avoid the presence of foreign forces on its soil," Lekota said.

"Nevertheless, as indeed the SADC adopted position, it is better if they did that from a distance, rather than come and make a presence that creates uncertainty."

He said during the interstate defence and security committee meeting held in Tanzania, the SADC defence and security ministers took the position and recommended that sister countries of the region should not agree to host Africom.

He said the recommendations went to the heads of state of SADC during the recent summit in Lusaka.

"And that's the position of SADC," Lekota said. Lekota said as far as he was aware, the majority of the other regions of the continent had also taken that position.

SADC recently launched the SADC Brigade, which will be a reserve military force. The US government says Africom's major mission was to help Africans achieve their own security, not to extend the scope of the war on terrorism or secure African resources.

US deputy assistant secretary of defence for African affairs Theresa Whelan said although Africom was new, "the nature of our military engagement on the continent will not change. It will remain primarily focused on conducting theater-security cooperation to build partnership capacities in areas such as peacekeeping, maritime security, border security, counterterrorism skills."

Labels: MILITARY BASES, MWANAWASA

posted by MrK @ 3:29 AM