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because of Harare’s potential to bring stiff competition, Ambassador Lisa Stadelbauer has said.
Ambassador Stadelbauer said this when she paid a courtesy call on Zanu-PF national chairman Cde Simon Khaya Moyo at the party headquarters in Harare yesterday.
Canada strongly opposed the certification of Zimbabwean gems saying they were blood diamonds.
Cde Khaya Moyo had asked Ambassador Stadelbauer why Canada campaigned against Zimbabwe at the Kimberly Process Certification Scheme.
Ambassador Stadelbauer said as one of the KPCS founders, her country saw the scheme as its baby thus they wanted to influence its decisions.
“From our very selfish point, we are also a diamond exporting country and we see the role of the Kimberley Process to help ensure the brand of the diamond,” she said.
Ambassador Stadelbauer said there had been many stories about human rights abuses at Chiadzwa some of which she claimed were credible.
She said she wants to visit Marange to see how the companies there are mining the gems and brief her country.
Ambassador Stadelbauer claimed that Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and Finance Minister Tendai Biti told her that they did not know where revenue from Chiadzwa was going.
Cde Khaya Moyo told Ambassador Stadelbauer that it was important for Canada to focus on its own internal affairs than trying to interfere with Zimbabwe’s affairs.
He said there was no need for Canada to worry itself about how Zimbabwe runs its own affairs because it has never interfered with Canada’s affairs.
“I will be very open with you, if you think that Zimbabwe is an extension of Canada or any other country then you need a little bit of more research,” Cde Khaya Moyo said.
He reiterated that elections to end the inclusive Government will be held this year without fail.
Cde Khaya Moyo said countries that imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe will not be invited to observe the elections.
“These will be Zimbabwean elections run by Zimbabweans and our neighbours. The United Nations will pick nations that also come which we shall naturally approve because we are not going to allow the countries that imposed sanctions on us to observe,” Cde Khaya Moyo said.
He said Zimbabwe was going ahead with the indigenisation and economic empowerment drive regardless of outside perceptions.
Cde Khaya Moyo said Canada had been duped by Britain to impose illegal sanctions on Zimbabwe over a bilateral dispute between the former and the latter.
Ambassador Stadelbauer said her country imposed the illegal sanctions after the 2008 harmonised elections claiming that they had not been free and fair. She said the illegal sanctions will be lifted when a people driven constitution is in place and approved by the electorate.
This should be followed by free and fair elections, she added.
Online Reporter