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Zimbabwe: U.S. Urges Blocking of Arms Shipment
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23 April 2008
Posted to the web 23 April 2008
The United States has urged southern African governments to block a shipment of arms destined for Zimbabwe from being transported overland to the landlocked country.
“We don’t think it’s appropriate at this point, given the political upheaval that’s occurring in Zimbabwe, for anyone to be adding extra tinder to that situation by providing additional weapons to Zimbabwe’s security forces,” State Department spokesperson Tom Casey said in press briefing Tuesday.
“And we’re pleased to see that many countries in the region refused to either accept this vessel in their ports, or to offload those weapons,” Casey added.
The An Yue Jiang, a Chinese vessel carrying military-grade weapons and ammunition, anchored off the South African port of Durban last week but hurriedly left Friday when a court granted a temporary order preventing its cargo from being transported through South Africa to Zimbabwe.
Dockworkers aligned with the South African Transport and Allied Workers’ Union said they would refuse to unload the weapons and appealed for support from dockworkers in other countries.
The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) reported Wednesday that the ship was off the South African coastline in international waters on a course that would take it to the Angolan port of Lobito by around midday on Friday.
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Angola is a longtime ally of the Zimbabwean government. The South African Cape Times reported on Wednesday that “senior military sources” say Angolan troops are “on standby to fly to the aid of President Robert Mugabe and his beleaguered Zanu-PF should the need arise.”
Sam Dawson, an ITF spokesperson, said in a statement Wednesday that the federation was trying to persuade the ship’s owners, the China Ocean Shipping Company (COSCO) to abort its mission and send it back to China. Additionally, Dawson said, “union preparations continue to block attempts to unload and transport the cargo and any attempt to do so will be met by the strongest possible trade union response.”
The South African Broadcasting Corporation reported that United States Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer arrived in the country Wednesday for talks on Zimbabwe with the Pretoria government.
That ship will sail around until this story disappears!! Britain and its satellite states: USA, Canada, New Zealand and Australia will pay dearly for this media stage show. Your governments will become the tail and not the head any longer!!
In this generation, Africa's prophets are alive, well and keeping watch over the nations of the continent. When you play the fool using media antics, we will call the judgment of the living God on your governments and royal household. Your greed, selfishness and lies have cost too many African lives and we are not about to let these things... [Read Full Text]
To PRESIDENT GEORGE BUSH: Greetings in the name of the Living God. President Bush, it seems the media propaganda of your country (along with its Canadian, British, Australian and New Zealander networks) is at work again. I am referring to the fairytale ARMS FROM CHINA you are aware is circulating in the international press. This note is to send you a strong warning regarding the deal you made with Jakaya Kikwete (President of Tanzania) concerning a strike on Zimbabwe. We know, and the living God knows that you essentially bribed him to go through with this strike.
Therefore, the judgment... [Read Full Text]
The USA also once urged that all African countries should support the IRAQ war and wisely the whole Africa rejected that foolish, white savage and pure evil act against innocent people. The UK also urged the AU and EU to block Zimbabwe from attending an EU-AU summit and both the EU and AU rejected this very idiotic, white Anglo supremacy attitude.
I am not sure of your stance but this comment well do not use the name of God here when you call yourself a Christian but respond like a person of the world. It is fine if you leave God out of it. So do not blame any deaths in Africa on America or anyone else of the west. Many deaths here are at the hands of other Africans.It is funny how you talk about Africa in handling their own problems, open your eyes and look around does not look like the problems are being fixed. A temporary solution... [Read Full Text]
JACOB Zuma, the leader of South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) has revealed that “countries in the world” have been urging South Africa to use force to oust President Robert Mugabe in neighbouring Zimbabwe.Zuma, tipped to be South Africa’s next leader after President Thabo Mbeki, who has been the chief negotiator between Mugabe’s Zanu PF party and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) to find solutions to a deepening crisis, said they had rejected the use of force.
“I don’t think Mbeki must apply force in Zimbabwe,” he told the New York Times on a visit to London... [Read Full Text]
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