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Wallace Ruzvidzo-Herald Reporter
The Pan-African Parliament (PAP) will despatch a delegation to lobby countries that are maintaining illegal economic sanctions on Zimbabwe to remove them.
This was said by PAP president Chief Fortune Charumbira, who paid a courtesy call on Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister Professor Amon Murwira at his Munhumutapa offices yesterday.
He said PAP stood behind Zimbabwe in calling for the unequivocal removal of sanctions, hence the gesture.
“One issue that we discussed with the Minister is the resolution by the Pan-African Parliament to send a delegation of Pan-African Parliament MPs representing the continent. It will be a small delegation, but representing all the five regions of this continent to visit those countries that have imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe and impress upon them that these sanctions are retrogressive.
“These sanctions do not benefit anyone, including those who are imposing them. And the effects on this country are indeed, as you know, illegal, unfair, and that we condemn them.
“So, Pan-African Parliament condemned the sanctions, and we are sending a delegation across those countries that continue to impose sanctions,” he said.
Prof Murwira said Zimbabwe was a Pan-African country, as enshrined in the law of the land.
As such, the country was committed to supporting PAP in its endeavours.
“Zimbabwe’s posture towards Africa in the Pan-African Parliament is governed by our own constitution. Section 12, subsection 2 of our constitution makes it mandatory that we are Pan-African and by that, our disposition towards the Pan-African Parliament is that of absolute and maximum support to the best that we can as a country.
“Therefore, the visit and the updates that were being given by Senator Chief president Charumbira are very important for us to shape how we can contribute meaningfully to the progress of the Pan-African Parliament as a Pan-African institution,” he said.
Sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe, said Prof Murwira, were a violation of the country’s rights.
“And again, it is very important that the peaceful co-existence of Zimbabwe within the international world and the peaceful resolution of conflicts across the world is also constitutionally mandated as part of our posture to the world as Zimbabwe.
“So that is why we were discussing about conflicts, how to prevent those conflicts, how to respect the laws that govern international relations, including these issues that we have been talking about, issues of illegal sanctioning.
“Because as you know, again, section 12, subsection 1 of the constitution, Zimbabwe upholds the tenets of international law.
“And any violation of that is basically a violation of Zimbabwe’s rights, and we speak against it from a legal and a constitutional point of view,” he said.
The Foreign Affairs Minister said Zimbabwe was committed to playing its role in advancing peace and prosperity initiatives on the continent.
“But we always say peace and prosperity, integrity of this nation, dignity of this nation for prosperity are the founding values of our foreign policy.
“And you would know from His Excellency President ED Mnangagwa’s posture and doctrine is the that of peace, prosperity, doctrine of hard work, doctrine of dignity of the people of Zimbabwe, and within the African continent and the people of Africa.
“That is why we talk about being open for business, that is why we talk about leaving no one and no place behind.
“So, in this case, on the African continent, it is our primary goal to make sure that our relations with Africa, with ourselves, with the Pan African Parliament are of an excellent nature,” he said.
Western countries imposed illegal economic sanctions on Zimbabwe at the turn of the millennium as punishment for the land reform programme that corrected colonial land inequities.
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