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(TALKZIMBABWE) Illegal sanctions delay new constitution

Illegal sanctions delay new constitution
Posted by By Our reporter at 13 September, at 16 : 07 PM

THE constitution-making process is being derailed by the existence of the unjustified sanctions imposed on the country by Britain and the European Union, a senior Zanu-PF official has said.

Zanu-PF national chairman Senator Simon Khaya Moyo told the European External Action Services (EEAS) managing director for Africa, Nicholas Westcott when he paid a courtesy call that the unjustified sanctions imposed on the country were stalling progress and completion of the supreme law of the country.

He said his party wanted the constitution-making process to be done with a speedy pace so that the country holds elections which are long overdue.

“Sanctions are stalling progress in the constitution making process,” said senator Moyo.

“We feel that the treasury’s failure to avail funds on time was a deliberate move to stall the process as they (MDC-T), I want to believe, don’t want to leave the offices as are enjoying the niceties of government.”

He said that if it wasn’t the well-wishers who came to the rescue, the writing of the new constitution would be at a standstill.

Senator Moyo said the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) came to the rescue as it provided money for the completion of the writing of the constitution.

“If it wasn’t the well wishers who came to rescue, this process of writing the new constitution could be at a standstill, thanks to the UNDP who came to rescue.

“I am told that the committee (Copac) is now on work and they must proceed to the drafting stage.”

He made it clear that the inclusive Government had expired and was not meant to live forever.

“The inclusive Government was not supposed to last forever, we are now living on borrowed time,” he told the envoy.

He said the formation of the GNU was supposed to see the unjustified embargo going for good.

Senator Moyo said it was not supposed to be a benchmark that the sanctions will go after the constitution making process as it was also an issue to be addressed by the inclusive Government which also state that the sanctions must be removed unconditionally.

“The completion of the constitution making process must not be a precondition to the removal of sanctions.

“The issue of sanctions is an independent issue which, according to the GPA must be removed before the expiration of the GNU,” he made it clear.

He told Westcott that it was absurd that the people who preach democracy were the ones who wanted regime change in Zimbabwe.

The national chairman said he was going to make sure the coming elections were going to be free and fair and that peace prevailed.

He said it was regrettable that the recent violence that marred the MDC-T’s 12th anniversary at Gwanzura stadium was perpetrated in front of some invited people including the diplomats.

“Gwanzura incident was unfounded,” he said.

“Its unAfrican, its not our culture, we condone that, he said.

In his remarks, Westcott said he was very pleased when the country decided to have a GNU in place.

He, however, said that the EU wanted to see the GPA being implemented and see a fully adopted government in place so as to increase its support to the country.

“We are committed to giving assistance to Zimbabweans but we want the country to have an elected government in place,” he said.

Meanwhile, senator Moyo promised the EU envoy that all perpetrators of violence will be brought to book.

Labels: SANCTIONS, SIMON KHAYA MOYO, ZDERA

posted by MrK @ 3:58 PM