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Zim war veterans threatened to burn US diplomats alive, alleges envoy

Zim war veterans threatened to burn US diplomats alive, alleges envoy
By George Chellah in Harare, Zimbabwe
Saturday June 07, 2008 [04:00]

WAR veterans last Thursday threatened to burn American diplomats alive, US Ambassador to Zimbabwe James McGee has revealed. And Ambassador McGee said the forthcoming presidential runoff will not be free and fair. But deputy minister of information Bright Matonga said the team of British and US diplomats that were detained in Mazowe were addressing an MDC meeting. Addressing journalists after the diplomats were released, Ambassador McGee narrated that the diplomats were assessing the situation on the ground when the incident occurred.

"We had a team of US and British diplomats who went out to Bindura to take a look at the situation on the ground in the run-up to the election and the violence that is being perpetrated on the countryside. They were talking to people in the high-density suburbs when the police arrived. They told them that they have to accompany them to the police station... my people said no! They got into their car and started driving back to Harare," Ambassador McGee explained. "Somewhere along that way the police caught up with my people and tried to force them off the road.

Fortunately, we had a very good driver and they were able to evade that. But further then about 40 kilometres outside the city there was a police roadblock and they had the spike that could blow your tyres off. When they stopped the police got out of their car and slashed the tyres of our vehicle."

He explained that the diplomats' lives were threatened at the roadblock.
"The military came in with two trucks... war veterans came in and threatened to burn my people alive in their vehicles. At this time, I was trying to make the contacts with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

When I first called I was told everybody was at lunch and there was nobody available to talk to me," Ambassador McGee said. "I was finally able to get to somebody from the ministry to talk to me and explained that my people were in a very desperate situation, and that it was their responsibility to protect them. They sent two people from their office out to the area and my people were finally released. There were four British diplomats and two vehicles with American embassy personnel."
Ambassador McGee further said there is currently no relationship between Harare and Washington.

"This is a lawless country, the government of Zimbabwe doesn't abide by its own rules and laws and they surely don't abide by any international laws," he said.
Asked about President Mugabe's threats to expel him, Ambassador McGee answered: "I am doing my job and if the President sees it fit to kick me out then I guess I'm gonna have to be kicked out. But we will not be intimidated by thugs and thieves. This is foolishness, is this how governments react to each other?"

He said the presidential run-off would not be free and fair. "Generally, looking at what is happening in the countryside there is no way we are going to say that this election will be free and fair. Mr Tsvangirai is very brave to go out there and fight for this election no matter what... he has to. If he doesn't, he’s just gonna hand this election to those folks who may not have the best interest of Zimbabwe in their hearts," Ambassador McGee said.

But Matonga said the diplomats that were detained by police were addressing a gathering at a house of an MDC activist. "There was commotion and the police were called in. When the police arrived they fled, they were later stopped at a roadblock. When they refused to disembark following orders by police, the police deflated the tyres of one of the vehicles," Matonga said.
And police spokesperson assistant commissioner Wayne Bvudzijena said there were a number of roadblocks mounted across the country to curb the movement of weapons being used in the political violence.

"We are surprised that the diplomats fled when they were asked to identify themselves by police. In essence, they reduced themselves to common criminals because if they had identified themselves there would have been no problems," Bvudzijena said. "Being in a vehicle with a CD registration plate does not necessarily given an indication of the individuals in the vehicle."
Recently, President Robert Mugabe threatenes to expel Ambassador McGee if he continues to meddle in Zimbabwe's domestic affairs.

"He says he fought in Vietnam, but fighting in Vietnam does not give him the right to interfere in our domestic affairs. As tall as he is, if he continues to do that I will kick him out of the country," President Mugabe had said. "I am just waiting to see if he makes one more step wrong. He will get out. This is Zimbabwe, it's not an extension of America."

Ambassador McGee was also recently given a first warning by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for circumventing diplomatic protocol after he led a team of western diplomats on a 'fact-finding mission' visiting MDC victims of political violence.
Shortly after the incident, US state department spokesperson Sean McCormack and British Foreign secretary David Miliband appeared live on cable television networks castigating the Zimbabwean government.

McCormack described the behaviour of Zimbabwean police as irresponsible while Miliband said Zimbabwe could not even follow its laws. McCormack said the US would push for the matter to be tabled before the UN Security Council.

Labels: AMBASSADOR, JAMES MCGEE, WAR VETERANS, ZIMBABWE

posted by MrK @ 3:40 PM