Seychelles supports anti-sanctions lobby

Michel pledging to use every international platform to call for their immediate removal.
The message from President Michel was delivered to VP Joice Mujuru by the Seychelles Foreign Minister Mr Jean Paul Adam yesterday.
In an interview after meeting Minister Adam, VP Mujuru said it was important for Sadc countries to speak with one voice on the issue of the illegal sanctions.
“It was an exciting message that the President (Mr Michel) himself decided to send his Foreign Affairs Minister Mr Jean Paul Adam to tell me that they (Seychelles) are prepared to talk about the total lifting of sanctions and that there is no reason why they should harm the country,” she said.
VP Mujuru said this showed that the anti-sanctions lobby launched by President Mugabe last week had opened the eyes of the international community.
“The anti-sanctions lobby was the mother of all rallies. It has opened the eyes of not only regional countries but also the whole world.
“I think it has sent the message that this (sanctions) is not working,” she said.
Thousands of Zimbabweans last Wednesday converged in Harare to lobby for the removal of the illegal Western sanctions.
The Anti-sanctions Petition signing centres will be set up countrywide to enable Zimbabweans to air their opposition to the illegal Western embargo.
People will be able to sign the petitions there, while Diasporans can access it through a soon-to-be-established website.
Plans are underway to translate the petition into all major national and United Nations languages.
VP Mujuru said the illegal embargo on Zimbabwe had caused untold suffering to the general populace and business.
“Now Sadc is speaking with one voice and working as a group. It (message) came as a surprise because it came as I was at the airport preparing to take off,” VP Mujuru said.
VP Mujuru was leading a high-powered Zimbabwean tourism delegation to Seychelles for the International Carnaval de Victoria, which ended on Sunday.
Sadc and the African Union have on several occasions called for the lifting of the illegal sanctions imposed on the country at the instigation of Britain and the United States of America after Government embarked on the land reform programme.
Only last week Namibia urged the immediate removal of sanctions and pledged to organise anti-sanctions rallies in that country to show that the illegal embargo was hurting the economy.
MDC formations boycotted the anti-sanctions petition launch, drawing the ire of people who are daily burdened by the embargo.