By Chibaula Silwamba
Mon 05 Dec. 2011, 11:00 CAT
PRESIDENT Michael Sata says Amnesty International did not furnish Zambia with facts about human rights violations committed by George Bush for him to be arrested. Speaking to journalists at KK International Airport yesterday, President Sata said Zambia had not received facts from Amnesty International over the former president of the US, Bush to warrant his arrest.
The influential US-based human rights group, Amnesty International, on Thursday called on Zambia, Ethiopia and Tanzania to arrest Bush for human rights violations when he visited the three nations. Asked about that call, President Sata responded:
"To arrest who? To arrest him for what? Well, they Amnesty International haven't given us the facts. When they give us the facts, we will consider it."
As US president between 2001 and 2009, Bush authorised the use of waterboarding and other interrogation techniques
[Torture techniques. - MrK]
on suspected terrorism detainees that Amnesty International and other human rights groups consider torture.
"International law requires that there be no safe haven for those responsible for torture; Ethiopia, Tanzania and Zambia must seize this opportunity to fulfill their obligations and end the impunity George W. Bush has so far enjoyed," Amnesty International senior legal adviser Matt Pollard stated in a media statement.
President Sata said Bush's visit to Zambia showed his government's commitment to interact with the outside world.
"We need to interact with lots of people; we need to interact with the world. We can't develop in isolation," President Sata said.
President Sata said the visit of Bush and Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe, whom he met in Livingstone for private talks on Saturday, showed he was helping bring back Zambia's lost glory.
"That is just to counteract you because the Zambian Watchdog online publication say ‘Mr. Sata doesn't travel' but I don't travel aimlessly. I travel when there is something to travel for," President Sata.
He said President Mugabe did not come to Zambia to meet him because of Bush's visit.
"No! No! President Mugabe is a neighbour. He is an African neighbour and there is no connection with the Americans. The Americans come; president Bush, it's a coincidence. That shows that Zambia is gaining back the glory which it lost," said President Sata. "We with President Mugabe discussed unity; unity of Africa."
President Sata, first lady Dr Christine Kaseba, ministers Geoffrey Mwamba (defence), Kennedy Sakeni (home affairs), Given Lubinda (information, broadcasting and tourism), secretary to the Cabinet Dr Joshua Kanganja, defence and service chiefs, US Ambassador to Zambia Mark Storella, Zambia's ambassador to the US Sheila Siwela among other dignitaries saw off Bush and his family when they left for Ethiopia.
The Bush family arrived in Zambia on Friday and launched the Pink Ribbon, Red Ribbon campaign meant to combat cervical cancer.
Ambassador Storella untied his necktie and gave it to President Sata, who in turn passed it over to Dr Kaseba, as a sign of gratitude to the head of state for the warm hosting of the Bush family and accompanying delegation.
"President Sata just told me he liked the necktie and I said, ‘in many cultures, when you say you like something, the person gives it to you, so here it is'. But also it was a good way to celebrate wonderful visit and to express in a small way our gratitude for the terrific job the Zambian government and President Sata have done in welcoming our former president," said Ambassador Storella.
Meanwhile, there were altercations between local journalists and US security personnel with the journalists accusing the security officers of being racist because of their mistreatment of the Zambian media personnel.
The US security, which had overrun the local police's roles, wanted to confine local journalists to a truck and block them from moving closer to take photographs or interview Bush.
"You have no option, but to get on the truck," one security officer ordered.
However, the journalists protested and refused to get on the truck.
"You are being racist. You are allowing American journalists to move closer to our President and Mr Bush but you want to block us. We won't accept that," one named journalist protested, forcing the security personnel to ease the restrictions.
After realising that the journalists had defied their orders, one US security personnel said: "We don't want you to be run over by the former president's motorcade."
A female US embassy official asked journalists to get on the truck or they would be chased. However, journalists just jeered at her.
Unsuccessful in their attempts to confine the journalists, the US security personnel turned to the Zambia Police officers, ordering them where to stand but the locals opposed them and went on without minding the orders.
After Bush left, one US security officer went back to where the journalists were standing and issued derogatory words but the scribes booed him, forcing him to leave.
"This is our country, you can't tell us what to do or not to do. You go and do that in Afghanistan or Iraq not here. We won't allow you to bully us, we are not terrorists" said one journalist as Zambian police officers laughed, in solidarity with the media personnel.
"You have done well these people also wanted to bully us the police but we have ignored them. We are now irritated with their ‘misbehaviour' so we are just brushing their orders aside," a police man said to the journalists as the two camps laughed with contempt at the US security personnel who were standing nearby.
Several photojournalists disregarded the cordon line the US security personnel had made for them and proceeded to the aircraft to photograph President Sata and Bush.
"Protect your former president but us we are here to cover our President. You must have respect for your host. You can't block us from covering our president under the pretext that you are protecting Bush," one journalist said.
The local journalists have launched a campaign to petition Ambassador Storella over the mistreatment suffered during the former US president's visit.
No comments:
Post a Comment