West’s double standards

of the Western hemisphere’s biggest economies proclaiming interest in the forthcoming extraordinary Sadc summit to be held in Johannesburg, South Africa next week.
Speaking at different forums, US Ambassador to Zimbabwe Charles Ray and his Germany counterpart Albrecht Conze – whose countries have been at the forefront of the regime change agenda – professed respect for

Zimbabwe’s internal politics and support for Sadc-led mediation efforts.
They said Zimbabweans deserve a chance to determine their own destiny, even as they expressed support for the illegal economic sanctions that are a blatant form of economic intrusion.

Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of a US embassy-sponsored Dialogue with Young African Leaders workshop in Masvingo yesterday, Mr Ray said the US government would never seek to influence the direction of the Sadc-led efforts to end Zimbabwe’s political crisis.

Mr Ray’s remarks come on the back of reports that some Western countries were trying to influence the crafting of an election road-map by inter-party negotiators to the Global Political Agreement that gave birth to the inclusive government. The elections are scheduled for end of this year.

Mr Conze, on the other hand exposed the meddlesome hand of the West in Zimbabwe’s internal affairs when he said he was interested in the outcome of the forthcoming Sadc Summit to be held in Zimbabwe adding he had been engaging South African president Jacob Zuma on the issue.

The outgoing Germany ambassador was addressing a Press conference at his embassy’s offices in Harare.
The US government, Mr Ray said, had faith in the work being done by Sadc through the bloc’s appointed facilitator in Zimbabwe, President Jacob Zuma of South Africa.