Brown-under pressure-speaks out on Zimbabwe
Saturday, 22 September 2007
Shaking hands with Robert Mugabe has become a hot political issue in Britain which has been accused of suffering from a "colonial guilt" complex when it comes to halting the former colony's slide into misery. In 2004, former Foreign Secretary Jack Straw aroused a storm of protest when he was caught on camera offering a "nice to see you" to the African dictator at the United Nations in New York.
"I was sort of being pushed towards him shaking hands with somebody as a matter of courtesy, and then it transpired it was President Mugabe," the hapless minister explained.
A year later, at the funeral of Pope John Paul in Rome, Prince Charles was caught in a similar predicament, leaning over to greet Mugabe.
The heir to the throne had been "caught by surprise," explained his spokeswoman.
During the 10 years of Tony Blair's leadership, open diplomatic conflict with Zimbabwe was avoided on the grounds that it would be counter-productive, given the tirades of hatred and abuse that would be unleashed from Harare in return.
Whenever the British Labour government uttered criticism of Mugabe's land redistribution programme and undemocratic ways, Blair faced the accusation that he was a colonialist who was "raining bombs and hell-fire on innocent Iraqis" and whose "political God" was no other than US President George W Bush.
Under Gordon Brown, who took over office this summer with the claim that his politics were guided by the "high moral standards" of his church upbringing, the political atmosphere has changed.
His threat to boycott a forthcoming European Union-Africa summit in December in Lisbon is not an empty gesture, say Brown's advisers, and is motivated by more than trying to avoid an embarrassing handshake.
Brown, who has generally made aid for Africa one of the main themes of his premiership, is known to be working with African and international leaders to prepare a long-term recovery package for "the day democracy returns to Zimbabwe."
Britain, which oversaw the former Rhodesia's transition to independent Zimbabwe in 1980, is currently the second-largest donor in Zimbabwe, providing up to 40 million pounds (80 million dollars) a year in humanitarian assistance.
Millions are additionally delivered through the World Food Programme, while trade between the two countries has steadily declined, to a mere 66 million pounds in 2005. British investment in Zimbabwe stood at 52 million pounds at the end of 2005, the last year for which official figures are available.
But Brown's intervention, which according to his advisers he had planned since he came to power, has also been forced by growing pressure over the Zimbabwe issue, especially from the churches and the media.
Last Sunday, the Archbishop of York, John Sentamu, a former high court judge forced to flee his native Uganda in 1974 due to persecution by the regime of Idi Amin, hit out at Britain's stance on Zimbabwe.
Brown should end Britain's "colonial guilt" and spearhead a campaign of sanctions against the "racist" dictatorship of Robert Mugabe, demanded Sentamu, the second-most important clergyman in the Church of England and the first African in that position.
"Tony Blair's 'ethical foreign policy' is a distant memory, and the approach which is to regard Zimbabwe an 'African problem' to be solved by its neighbours, has failed," said Sentamu.
The Archbishop, who has acquired the reputation of a mould-breaker since he assumed his position two years ago, will be risking to be branded a "white colonialist" by Mugabe.
But his strong words prompted a similar appeal from South Africa's Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and no doubt played a role in the timing of Brown's "empty chair" threat.
Brown, meanwhile, is likely to become the target of insults from Harare, backed up by a string of African leaders and former freedom fighters who will speak up for the disgraced leader. — EARTHtimes.org
"I was sort of being pushed towards him shaking hands with somebody as a matter of courtesy, and then it transpired it was President Mugabe," the hapless minister explained.
A year later, at the funeral of Pope John Paul in Rome, Prince Charles was caught in a similar predicament, leaning over to greet Mugabe.
The heir to the throne had been "caught by surprise," explained his spokeswoman.
During the 10 years of Tony Blair's leadership, open diplomatic conflict with Zimbabwe was avoided on the grounds that it would be counter-productive, given the tirades of hatred and abuse that would be unleashed from Harare in return.
Whenever the British Labour government uttered criticism of Mugabe's land redistribution programme and undemocratic ways, Blair faced the accusation that he was a colonialist who was "raining bombs and hell-fire on innocent Iraqis" and whose "political God" was no other than US President George W Bush.
Under Gordon Brown, who took over office this summer with the claim that his politics were guided by the "high moral standards" of his church upbringing, the political atmosphere has changed.
His threat to boycott a forthcoming European Union-Africa summit in December in Lisbon is not an empty gesture, say Brown's advisers, and is motivated by more than trying to avoid an embarrassing handshake.
Brown, who has generally made aid for Africa one of the main themes of his premiership, is known to be working with African and international leaders to prepare a long-term recovery package for "the day democracy returns to Zimbabwe."
Britain, which oversaw the former Rhodesia's transition to independent Zimbabwe in 1980, is currently the second-largest donor in Zimbabwe, providing up to 40 million pounds (80 million dollars) a year in humanitarian assistance.
Millions are additionally delivered through the World Food Programme, while trade between the two countries has steadily declined, to a mere 66 million pounds in 2005. British investment in Zimbabwe stood at 52 million pounds at the end of 2005, the last year for which official figures are available.
But Brown's intervention, which according to his advisers he had planned since he came to power, has also been forced by growing pressure over the Zimbabwe issue, especially from the churches and the media.
Last Sunday, the Archbishop of York, John Sentamu, a former high court judge forced to flee his native Uganda in 1974 due to persecution by the regime of Idi Amin, hit out at Britain's stance on Zimbabwe.
Brown should end Britain's "colonial guilt" and spearhead a campaign of sanctions against the "racist" dictatorship of Robert Mugabe, demanded Sentamu, the second-most important clergyman in the Church of England and the first African in that position.
"Tony Blair's 'ethical foreign policy' is a distant memory, and the approach which is to regard Zimbabwe an 'African problem' to be solved by its neighbours, has failed," said Sentamu.
The Archbishop, who has acquired the reputation of a mould-breaker since he assumed his position two years ago, will be risking to be branded a "white colonialist" by Mugabe.
But his strong words prompted a similar appeal from South Africa's Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and no doubt played a role in the timing of Brown's "empty chair" threat.
Brown, meanwhile, is likely to become the target of insults from Harare, backed up by a string of African leaders and former freedom fighters who will speak up for the disgraced leader. — EARTHtimes.org