The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #53434   Message #822702
Posted By: The Pooka
10-Nov-02 - 11:54 AM
Thread Name: BS: Blair Banned from Zimbabwe
Subject: RE: BS: Blair Banned from Zimbabwe
Perhaps so, Guest. Even the godlike British Broadcasting Corporation occasionally errs. Everybody knows that the *US*, as distinguished from the UN, is in favor of mass starvation and would never intervene to prevent it. Good thing we weren't running Ireland in the 1840's or there could have been a humanitarian catastrophe.

Here are a few more selective quotes from the BBC article -- your link to which, unlike the Zimbabwe government, is indeed in working order:

"On Thursday, the European Union accused President Robert Mugabe's government of channelling food aid to its own supporters and ignoring opposition activists, as millions face starvation...

Zimbabwe has denied the allegations and accused the US of preparing to invade.

Meanwhile, the treason trial of Zimbabwe opposition rival Morgan Tsvangirai has been postponed until February...

...the state radio station, Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation...
broadcast also outlined the ban on members of the British Government saying:

'The Zimbabwe Government has imposed a travel ban on British Prime Minister Tony Blair, his cabinet, junior ministers and heads of his government departments as part of its efforts to safeguard the country's sovereignty.'

Earlier this year, the EU imposed a travel ban on Mr Mugabe and other members of the country's ruling elite following disputed elections...

Zimbabwe's Information Minister Jonathan Moyo told the BBC's Network Africa programme that...Britain had been exaggerating reports of the situation in Zimbabwe.

Lawyers acting for Mr Tsvangirai, the leader of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), said they had applied for more time to prepare their defence, after state lawyers failed to hand over crucial documents in time...

The opposition accuse Mr Mugabe of mismanaging the country to the point where millions are facing severe food shortages.

Up to six million people - half the population - are estimated to need food aid after poor rains, combined with the government seizure of almost all white-owned farms.

Bertel Haarder, European Affairs Minister of Denmark, which holds the EU presidency, condemned Mr Mugabe for abusing food aid.

"We would like to strongly react against the fact that the Zimbabwe Government is using our aid and our food to put political and economic pressure on its own people," Mr Haarder said.

The BBC's Christian Fraser, who recently went to Zimbabwe, says that bags of maize were stacked outside polling stations during the by-election in Insiza - reportedly put there to reward people who voted for Mr Mugabe's Zanu-PF party.

Zanu-PF won the election in what was considered an opposition stronghold.