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(NEWZIMBABWE) Mugabe open to UK dialogue: Moyo

Mugabe open to UK dialogue: Moyo
by Gilbert Nyambabvu
12/06/2011 00:00:00

ZANU PF strategist Jonathan Moyo has said Zimbabwe is open to constructive dialogue with the British government and praised Prime Minister David Cameroon’s "circumspect and careful" approach which, he adds, has helped reduce the levels of "noise and tension" between the two countries.

Relations between Britain and its former colony have remained frosty over the last decade with Harare accusing the UK of leading efforts to remove President Robert Mugabe from power and punishing the country – through sanctions – for its land reforms.

But with the Conservative Party back in power at White Hall – albeit in a coalition with the Liberal Democrats -- Mugabe and his allies believe there is a chance for a change of approach from the animosity that characterised the Labour Party’s time in office.

"We can all see that David Cameron is not as loquacious as Brown or Tony Blair, he has kept his views on Zimbabwe to himself," Moyo told the UK Telegraph newspaper.

"He is not even as loquacious as William Hague, who gets carried away by what he believes are successes in Libya to say ridiculous things."

Moyo’s remarks also mirror recent comments by President Mugabe who said of Hague and Cameroon: “There's that other man … what's his name? Hague, William Hague – the one with the round head. He seems very critical of us and seems to be onto regime change.

“(David) Cameron seems to be quiet for now. I have been listening to what he says. They may talk about Zimbabwe in general terms but I haven't heard him making really critical remarks about me.”

Moyo said that the new approach of the Conservatives harked back to the early days of Robert Mugabe's rule after the signing of the Lancaster House agreement that brought him to power in 1980.

"They are behaving as we have historically known of the Conservatives. The approach of the Conservatives under Margaret Thatcher was very different to the approach of Labour."

Cameron's "circumspect and careful" attitude, which had reduced the levels of "noise and tension" between the two sides, meant his boss would welcome "constructive" dialogue with him.

"The British problem is that they behave like a drunkard who climbed a tree overnight then woke up naked and could not get down," he said. "We are prepared to give them a ladder, and a blanket, but it's up to them whether they climb down at night or during the day."

Meanwhile, in another interview with a South African talk radio station Moyo said his Zanu PF party had no problem with Mugabe – who has led the country since independence in 1980 – remaining in office.

“In fact, we are amazed that there are some people who call themselves democrats but who develop all sorts of sicknesses and illnesses when they hear that Mugabe is going to be a candidate in an election … and who want to construct an election roadmap whose essence is that Robert Mugabe should not be a candidate … that is their problem,” Moyo said.

Pressed on whether sanctions imposed by the West alone were responsible for the country’s economic meltdown over the last decade, Moyo conceded that the country’s leadership had made mistakes.

“I don’t think we are angels and I don’t think Zanu PF is run by angels. We have made mistakes. We will make mistakes,” he said.

“(But) there is nothing extraordinary done by the leadership in Zimbabwe which is not done by the leadership anywhere else except this very unprecedented illegal regime change project which none of the other people have faced."

Moyo said Zanu PF could have done a better job of preparing the country for the impact of the sanctions.

“I think we failed to come up with an immediate response to the sanctions … failing to address a national security threat is not a small thing,” he said.

“There was no was no indigenous economic base … and when the multi-national corporations started playing the tune of the sanctions we were left exposed and this is why we have started implementing the indigenisation and economic empowerment policy.”

Labels: INDIGENIZATION AND EMPOWERMENT ACT (ZIMBABWE), JONATHAN MOYO, LAND REFORM, ROBERT MUGABE, ZANU-PF

posted by MrK @ 11:23 PM