Maravi

Sata warns diplomats - Diplomats interfering in domestic politics will be expelled

Sata warns diplomats - Diplomats interfering in domestic politics will be expelled
By Chiwoyu Sinyangwe
Sat 08 Sep. 2012, 10:30 CAT

ZAMBIA will expel foreign diplomats accredited to the country if the government finds that they are interfering in domestic politics, says President Michael Sata.

President Sata yesterday warned "some ambassador", who was in the habit of going directly to State House without seeking appointment from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to respect Zambia's territorial integrity.

President Sata said this at State House when he received credentials from newly-appointed German Ambassador to Zambia Bernd Finke, Somalia
Ambassador to Zambia Mohammed Hassan Daware and Nigeria High Commissioner Sitemu Inu-Umoru Momoh, and conferred justice minister Wynter Kabimba as State Counsel.

"Remove this habit, you can speak to me on the phone but don't make a habit to see me," President Sata said.

"Go through foreign affairs. I am not going to mention the names of those ambassadors who have the habit of thinking 'I can go to State House'. Even if in your own house, if your own son or your own daughter is in the toilet, you can't go in. Please go to foreign affairs and foreign affairs will clear you but we will always like to exchange… and you ambassadors and high commissioners, find time to tour Zambia."

President Sata said some ambassadors accredited to Zambia were interfering in the country's domestic politics because natives were indolent.

"Because you are being so lazy, you are being idle, that's why some of the embassies are trying to entertain or interfere in our internal politics. I am sure you know what I mean by that," President Sata told Ambassador Finke.

"If you want to interfere in our internal politics, you are under the Geneva Convention, and it will be very embarrassing for His Excellency or Her Excellency to be expelled from a country where they have gone for tour of duty. Please stay away. Leave our internal politics to ourselves and because some are boasting that we are going to be funded by such and such…at the moment, we have our intelligence within your own missions; before they report to you, they have already told us what's happening."

President Sata told foreign diplomats accredited to Zambia to visit beyond Lusaka.

"Go to all the 10 provinces. Go to all the districts so that you know all our difficulties," he said.

And Sata said Zambia was happy that the Nigerian government was helping Zambia to probe an oil deal in which Rupiah Banda's regime allegedly paid for oil to Nigerian dealers although the commodity was never delivered.

"Please convey to His Excellency President Goodluck Jonathan; we are very grateful that without the current government in Nigeria, we would have not known for the oil which we paid for which has never arrived in Zambia and with the help which we are getting from you country, we are very grateful and we are always," President Sata told High Commissioner Momoh.

And President Sata said the government was ready to be sued for the planned cancellation of the concession agreement of the Zambia Railways from Railway Systems of Zambia.

President Sata told Kabimba to work with the government's legal team to ensure the country's interest in the running of Zambia Railways was protected.

"Yesterday, some man was threatening to take me to court and I am waiting for him to come and serve me with the writ of summons," he said.

"Some man from Zambia Railways, you have a number of people who will assist you with that. There are so many things which…Zambia is our country and we only have one country and we have no any other country. You have capable hands to work with. Some of them are very radical, some of them are very radical. Like the Attorney General is very gentle like a pastor."

He also urged Kabimba to help in justice delivery system in the country with a focus on improving conditions of service for judiciary officers.

"Prisons are for poor and illiterate people. Let's bring justice to the people…people working in justice are working in deplorable conditions," said President Sata. "We have shortages of courtrooms, manpower. I have seen your predecessor asking me to fire a judge for failing to write judgment. The conditions, we still have some retired judges who have gone without writing judgments."

Kabimba replaced Sebastian Zulu as justice minister.

Labels: JUDICIARY, MICHAEL SATA, RAILWAY SYSTEMS OF ZAMBIA, WYNTER KABIMBA

posted by MrK @ 5:29 PM