America.gov (Washington, DC)
Stephen Kaufman
5 June 2008
The incident, which occurred 40 kilometers outside Harare, was "not a random occurrence," and "is an example of the fact that this government doesn't know any bounds. It flouted all international convention, as well as the protections accorded to diplomats accredited to their country," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack.
The U.S. ambassador to Zimbabwe, James McGee, said the convoy of two U.S. Embassy vehicles and a British Embassy vehicle was stopped by a group of 40 armed people at a police roadblock while on the way to check on reports of recent violence. The armed group included members of the Zimbabwean army, as well as intelligence and retired military personnel.
"The police put up a roadblock, stopped the vehicles, slashed the tires, reached in and grabbed the telephones from my personnel," McGee told CNN June 5.
"The war veterans threatened to burn the vehicles with my people inside unless they got out of the vehicles and accompanied the police to a station nearby," he said.
The United States is ready to raise the issue of Zimbabwe at the U.N. Security Council, the State Department says.
McCormack added that the driver of one of the U.S. vehicles was beaten by the crowd, and that the incident "is a taste of the kind of oppression and violence that this government is willing to use against its own people."
The spokesman said the embassy vehicles had been clearly marked and that Zimbabwe's Ministry of Foreign Affairs had been informed in advance of the trip. He added that Zimbabwe's claim that vehicles are restricted to a 40 kilometer travel limit is "apparently ... fictitious," and that Zimbabwe's diplomats in the United States are free to travel wherever they wish.
"[A]ny pretense that the Zimbabweans were surprised by this, I think, is really just a diversion on the part of the Zimbabweans," he said. But despite the U.S. outrage, "it is really nothing compared to what the Zimbabwean people suffer on a daily basis."
McCormack said the tactic of interfering with diplomatic travel is not new, recalling the detention of Ambassador McGee and other diplomats in May. "They're just taking it to new levels, I guess you could say." (See "Police Harass Diplomats After Visit to Zimbabwe Hospital.")
The United States is raising the incident with the U.N. Security Council June 5 to register its "deep concern, unhappiness and distress," and to discuss the Mugabe government's behavior toward its people and its political opposition.
McCormack acknowledged that the issue of Zimbabwe "has previously not been a subject ... that has gotten very far in terms of Security Council discussions," but the Bush administration hopes to "highlight the fact that the international system is watching events in Zimbabwe and that the actions by the Mugabe government will not go unremarked."
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Zalmay Khalilzad said June 5 that consultations had been proposed for later that day to discuss the treatment of the diplomats.
"We will hope that the council can join us in expressing outrage in terms of what has happened," he said.
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Greta you're too trusting. Zimbabwe was cut off long before ZIEDRA.
Everytime this happens you want to have meetings and talk about it well people are starving and dying while you propose meetings and talk so put your money where your mouth is! The people in Zimbabwe do not need meetings or talks they need action!
Show the people of Zimbabwe that you care enough to step in and end Mugabe's reign by force b/c as we have seen your meetings and words have no affect on this man..
You try to overthrow the country, starve them by sactions and wonder why they're not welcoming. Forcing them to flee to south africa, only to be slaughtered there by xenophia.
why are some people so stupid to believe that the travel sanctions imposed on Zimbabwean ministers actually effect the average Zimbabwean. No body is trying to over through the country. In any democratic country, if the opposition wins the election, are they over throwing the country? No. Morgan is Zimbabwean. His party is Zimbabwean. All the people (the majority) that voted for Morgan are Zimbabwean. Has the Zanu PF mananaged to brainwash that many people?!
What sanctions? Unfortunately you've been hoodwinked by Zim govt propaganda.
The said diplomats should maybe ..just consider closing shop in Zim because it is apparent that to some people.. they are unwelcome in Harare.
Or am I naive?...Maybe there is unfinished business in Harare!
Maybe you are correct. They should close shop and close their eyes to the plight of Zimbabweans suffering and dying in order to keep a senile despot in power. But they chose not to. Unfinished business in Harare, why would anyone want Zimbabwe after Mugabe and his lot have ruined everything. Rather let his lot carry on, in a few years time they will beg for anyone come in and take over their incompetence. After ten years of disasterous policy there is mass starvation, a third of the population needs to fed by the West and the country is bankrupt. Surely if one wanted to create an indigenous farming powerhouse, first educate them and then take the land necessary, then they would have recieved all the finance necessary. Sorry but to evict people because of their political preference is sad and ignorant, the evictions were a purely political move to try to ensure sucession.
Could they also raise the issue of sanctions and badwill they are bringing on Zimbabwe. They imposed sanctions on people and think that those people will love them. They should discuss ZIDERA first before they start waflling about the detention of a few diplomats. Our people are dying everyday because of America's bullying and the squeeze they have put on the economy. They should tell their ambassador Crocker that he brought on the people of Zimbabwe when he said we are going to make the economy scream. America should clean house first before they talk about any one of us.