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Mugabe refuses to bid farewell to immediate-past US ambassador

Mugabe refuses to bid farewell to immediate-past US ambassador
Written by Kingsley Kaswende in Harare
Wednesday, July 08, 2009 5:22:09 PM

PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe has refused to bid farewell to immediate-past US ambassador to Zimbabwe, James McGee, who left the Zimbabwean capital on Sunday after his two-year term expired.

The US embassy in Harare yesterday stated that it had requested a courtesy call with President Mugabe two weeks before but never got a response.

McGee, an abrasive critic of President Mugabe, often had confrontations with the Zimbabwean government, with President Mugabe once threatening to expel him for breaking diplomatic etiquette.

In May last year, at the height of politically-linked violence prior to the June 27 run-off election, McGee was summoned by foreign affairs minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi and accused of circumventing diplomatic protocol by going on a fact-finding mission to investigate allegations of state-sponsored political violence.

The Zimbabwean government also protested to the dean of diplomatic corps about a diplomatic incident in which Ambassador McGee was accused of physically confronting a police officer.

Ambassador McGee and other diplomats from Japan, the EU, the Netherlands and Tanzania, were detained for about an hour at a police roadblock as they returned from the fact-finding mission, as they had allegedly gone beyond the permitted 40km radius without seeking authority.

A police officer was said to have threatened to beat up one of Ambassador McGee's senior aides. In the ensuing melee, one of the cars in the envoy was said to have hit Ambassador McGee's shins, but he was not injured.

US Embassy public affairs officer Tim Gerhardson, in response to a press query regarding whether or not Ambassador McGee bade farewell to President Mugabe before he left, said no response was received from the President's office in two weeks.

"Over two weeks before Ambassador McGee departed Zimbabwe, the US Embassy requested a courtesy call with President Mugabe through a diplomatic note to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Unfortunately, the US Embassy never received a reply from the government of Zimbabwe regarding the US Ambassador's request for a meeting with the President," Gerhadson stated.

Ambassador McGee left Harare on Sunday and will now be working for the US State Department at the National Defense University in Washington, DC.

In his farewell remarks circulated by the embassy, Ambassador McGee noted the changes that have taken place in Zimbabwe since he arrived in November 2007.

"Today ... we have an inclusive government comprised of Zimbabwe's three main parties. ... Zimbabwe is at least working on recovery. But at the same time so much remains to be done. The rule of law and human rights are still under attack in Zimbabwe. Innocent Zimbabweans continue to be arrested and prosecuted," he said.

Ambassador McGee pledged his government's support to efforts by Zimbabweans to restore democracy and economic prosperity.

"For real change to take hold in Zimbabwe, average Zimbabweans must do what the founders of the US did 233 years ago. They must stand up for their rights and demand a government of their choosing that serves their interests. If they do so, I promise that the United States will support them in their quest," said Ambassador McGee.

President Barack Obama has since nominated Charles Ray to replace Ambassador McGee.

Ray has been a career member of the US Foreign Service since 1982.

He has been the deputy assistant secretary of Defense for Prisoners of War/Missing Personnel Affairs since 2006 and served as ambassador to the Kingdom of Cambodia from 2002 to 2005.

Labels: AMBASSADOR, JAMES MCGEE, MUGABE

posted by MrK @ 4:21 PM