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(TALKZIMBABWE) Sarkozy issued Tsvangirai with travel documents

Sarkozy issued Tsvangirai with travel documents
Ralph Mutema
Tue, 18 Nov 2008 03:47:00 +0000

THE French President made all the necessary arrangements to facilitate the Movement for Democratic Change leader to travel to the European Union. The MDC-T president, Morgan Tsvangirai is currently in travelling the EU on what his party calls a “consultation” tour of the European region.

Tsvangirai’s spokesman, George Sibotshiwe told Voice of America radio that President Nicolas Sarkozy of France had made all the necessary arrangements for the MDC-T leader to tour the region despite holding an Emergency Travel Document only allowing him to travel to South Africa where he was attending an Extra-Ordinary Summit of the Southern African Development Community (Sadc).

Any other travel from has to be negotiated with countries that he is visiting…

“He has travelled on the goodwill of other African countries,” … (and) with the negotiation of the various governments,” said Sibotshiwe.

He added that “President Sarkozy and his foreign affairs department saw it fit to extend an invitation to him and made all the necessary arrangements.”

Sibotshiwe also said the objective of Tsvangirai’s visit to the EU was to “get some humanitarian support for the people Zimbabwe”. He added that there has been a good response to that plea.

The MDC spokesman, Nelson Chamisa, refused to answer questions on why the MDC-T leader snubbed a meeting of his National Council, opting instead to travel to the EU.

A member of the Zanu PF who spoke to the Zimbabwe Guardian on Monday said Tsvangirai had snubbed a meeting of his National Council as he had made arrangements to travel to the EU from South Africa.

“It is now clear that the MDC president did not want to return to Zimbabwe as he would not have been able to secure an ETD to travel to the EU in time for the European Development Days conference in Strasbourg,” said an official in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Zimbabwe.

Sibotshiwe also indicated that Tsvangirai is due to meet President Sarkozy today (Tuesday) to brief him on the status of the power-sharing talks in Zimbabwe.

President Sarkozy is the current chair of the European Union.

Labels: GEORGE SIBOTSHIWE, MORGAN TSVANGIRAI, SARKOZY

posted by MrK @ 9:00 AM