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(TALKZIMBABWE) Secret documents show Blair's admiration for President Mugabe

Secret documents show Blair's admiration for President Mugabe
By: Philip Murombedzi
Posted: Monday, August 30, 2010 9:41 pm

SECRET documents released recently by the United Kingdom government under the Freedom of Information Act are likely to embarass the New Labour party of Tony Blair as they clearly show that President Mugabe sought to have good relations with Britain all along.

The documents also reveal that Mr Blair had an admiration for President Robert Mugabe and saw him as a unifier on the African continent, but changed his stance after the Fast Track Land Reform Programme started in 2000.

Mr Blair changed his stance when Zimbabwe asked the New Labour government to honour commitments made at Lancaster House in 1979 -- to fund the land reform exercise in Zimbabwe.

The documents, released to The Independent newspaper, show that the relationship between New Labour and President Mugabe blossomed soon after Mr Blair took office in Downing Street.

"Just weeks after the Government unveiled its ethical foreign policy in May 1997, the British PM wrote a personal letter to Mr Mugabe congratulating him on his role in unifying Africa and helping to improve relations between the continent and Britain," wrote The Independent.

"The signed message, which welcomed President Mugabe's appointment as leader of the Organisation of African Unity, paved the way for an attempt to bring the two leaders together in a face-to-face meeting in Downing Street during the first weeks of the New Labour administration."

The two leaders finally met at the Commonwealth summit in in October 1997 in Edinburgh.

At that meeting President Mugabe told Mr Blair that he wanted Britain to honour Lancaster House commitments in which half a million hectares of white-owned farmland were to be redistributed among landless black farmers.

In a letter dated 11 June the UK's Foreign Office urged the Mr Blair to agree to President Mugabe's request for an official visit to Downing Street.

The memo reads: "This may be a useful opportunity for an exchange of views in advance of CHOGM [the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting].

"After South Africa, Zimbabwe is the most important country in southern Africa to us both commercially and politically."

"President Mugabe remains a senior African and Commonwealth figure with whom there would be advantage in establishing early close relations. We recommend that the Prime Minister sees him if his programme permits."

No 10 wrote back to the Foreign Office saying that Mr Blair could not make the date suggested by President Mugabe.

A second Foreign Office letter later urges Mr Blair to hold the meeting in September. But this time Mr Blair's commitments prevented the two leaders meeting.

In the run-up to the Commonwealth conference, President Mugabe was optimistic about forging closer ties with Britain. "I have great hopes of Tony Blair," he said. "Mrs Thatcher described me as a terrorist but Tony Blair is different."

The populist government of Mr Blair later changed its tune on Zimbabwe as it sought money to fund policies it had promised to British people.

The government cut aid to former colonies in an attempt to save money; and Zimbabwe was not spared.

Then UK Secretary for International Development, Claire Short, wrote to the Minister of Agriculture and Land at the time, Kumbirai Kangai, saying: "I should make it clear that we do not accept that Britain has a special responsibility to meet the costs of land purchase in Zimbabwe."

She added: "We are a new Government from diverse backgrounds without links to former colonial interests. My own origins are Irish and as you know we were colonised not colonisers.

"I am told Britain provided a package of assistance for resettlement in the period immediately following independence. This was, I gather, carefully planned and implemented, and met most of its targets.

"Again, I am told there were discussions in 1989 and 1996 to explore the possibility of further assistance. However that is all in the past."

After Britain reneged on their obligation, Zimbabwe's land reform programme started.

The British government will be embarassed by this report as it proved that they have been hoodwinking the public on what exactly transpired at the time.

The overtures made by the Zimbabwean government were scoffed at and the Zanu-PF was left with no option but to go it alone.

Labels: CLAIRE SHORT, LANCASTER HOUSE AGREEMENT, NEOCOLONIALISM, ROBERT MUGABE, TONY BLAIR

posted by MrK @ 5:37 AM