Published by the government of Zimbabwe
6 July 2009
Harare — PRESIDENT Mugabe has applau-ded China for unconditionally extending a US$950 million credit facility to help Zimbabwe's economic recovery programme and blasted the West for insisting on conditions even as they render bits and pieces of aid to their agencies under the guise of assisting the people of Zimbabwe.
Speaking to journalists in Libya, President Mugabe said the Chinese package was negotiated long before the formation of the inclusive Government and all those trying to credit it to MDC-T were merely politicking.
Sources say the US$950 million is the first tranche of an expected US$5 billion bridging package that was negotiated four years ago by teams from the ministries of Foreign Affairs, Industry and International Trade, and Finance, and at one time involved the Presidency through Vice President Joice Mujuru.
The inclusive Government says it needs US$8,3 billion to bankroll the Short-Term Emergency Recovery Programme, and the Chinese facility is the biggest package the Government has received to date.
"Well, it's a fund that was negotiated long ago, and all that nonsense that it's the MDC and so on is just politicking, it's a fund also that is targeted, it will come variously.
"There are amounts for the various sectors, for agriculture, for health, for mechanisation etcetera and so on, and they will cover energy as well and so we are happy. But you don't get the political conditionalities from the West," President Mugabe said.
The President took a swipe at Western nations for being mean to Prime Minister Tsvangirai when he embarked on a tour of Europe and the United States, with a brief from the President and Cabinet to call for the removal of sanctions and seek a financial package for Zimbabwe.
The countries the Prime Minister visited -- among them the Netherlands, United States, Germany, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom -- only pledged about US$202 million to be channelled through their NGOs and lectured him on how the inclusive Government should be implemented.
"Look at the fund, that US$950 million, and we know there is more, there will be more; is given in circumstances quite different from what the West prescribed for the mini-funds that attended, you know, all that venture that the Prime Minister went on from the Netherlands to the United States, the United States back to Europe.
"And they treated him in a mean way, very, very mean way even to the extent of trying to divide the inclusive Government as happened in America where they wanted just the non-Zanu-PF side, which meant the MDC side led by the Prime Minister to accompany him to a meeting with Obama," the President said.
The Chinese package, the President said, was well meant as it was coming to Government not NGOs, to assist in national development and economic revival.
"That is the kind of help we would want to get, and not the Western dictates," he said.
The President said Western countries never give the developing world development funds that promote economic growth and prosperity as that would put them at par with the West and negate grounds for dominance.
"There is no funding with an investment capacity from the West that will enable us to move from primary agriculture to secondary stages of development. They do not want us, the West, to be that. They do not want us to be their equals, they enjoy being masters over us and this is what Zimbabwe rejects."
He, however, expressed optimism that the developing world had seen through the West's designs and would strive to uphold the ideals of pan-Africanism that advocate economic independence.
Meanwhile, President Mugabe yesterday left for Malawi to attend that country's 45th independence anniversary, which will be celebrated today.
Vice President Mujuru will be the Acting President during President Mugabe's absence.
The independence festivities come less than two months after President Bingu wa Mutharika and his Democratic Progressive Party romped to victory in May's presidential and parliamentary elections.
President Mugabe was also among leaders who witnessed the inauguration of President Mutha-rika for a second term in May.
Malawi became independent from Britain on July 6, 1964.
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