Posted on 10/16/2005 6:52:00 PM PDT by blam
Mugabe to speak at hunger debate as he defies EU travel ban again
By David Blair in Johannesburg and Hilary Clarke in Rome
(Filed: 17/10/2005)
President Robert Mugabe flew to Rome in defiance of a European Union travel ban after the United Nations caused outrage by inviting him to address a conference on world hunger today.
Zimbabwe, once the bread basket of southern Africa and a major exporter of food, now depends on western aid to avoid starvation.
Mr Mugabe will speak at the FAO conference
Four million Zimbabweans, a third of the population, need supplies from the World Food Programme.
Critics of the Harare regime are appalled that the UN's Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), whose mission statement is "helping to build a world without hunger", invited Mr Mugabe to address a conference in Rome marking its 60th anniversary.
Tony Hall, the US ambassador to the UN food organisations in Rome, said: "My government is excited about the FAO event which is organised to remind people about hunger.
"However my feeling is we shouldn't be inviting someone who has absolutely turned his back on the poor in his own country. He has made a mockery about the hungry and everyone should be upset about this."
Mr Hall said that since 2002 the US had donated almost $300 million [£169 million] in food aid to Zimbabwe.
He visited the country when the regime was engaged in bulldozing large areas of the poorest black townships.
This campaign, personally ordered by Mr Mugabe, destroyed the homes or livelihoods of 700,000 people and harmed another 2.4 million, according to a UN report.
A spokesman for the Foreign Office said: "Going to Rome to celebrate World Food Day whilst millions of ordinary Zimbabweans face food shortages as a direct result of his flawed policies simply emphasise Mugabe's skewed sense of priorities."
Zimbabwe's transformation from self-sufficiency to dependency coincided with Mr Mugabe's seizure of white-owned farms.
He blames food shortages on drought. But critics say hunger is the direct and predictable result of his policies.
Tendai Biti, from the leadership of Zimbabwe's opposition Movement for Democratic Change, also criticised the UN invitation.
"It's a tragedy," he said. "Inviting Mugabe sends exactly the wrong signal. He has completely destroyed the economic and agricultural fabric of this country.
"The UN shouldn't play ping-pong with the suffering of the Zimbabwean people." An FAO spokesman said that as a member "in good standing" with the agency Mr Mugabe was invited to attend.
"The UN does things sometimes," said Mr Hall. "They roll over backwards to try to be fair but someone like this really makes a mockery of what we are about."
Mugabe, a Roman Catholic, last travelled to Rome for Pope John Paul II's funeral when he embarrassed the Prince of Wales, reaching across to shake the royal hand during the service.
Mr Mugabe accepted the FAO's invitation on Friday and will speak at the organisation's headquarters.
He seizes any opportunity to visit the western world and defy a travel ban imposed on him by the EU.
This measure, introduced in 2002, supposedly prevents Mr Mugabe and 94 other members of his regime from visiting any member state. A similar ban is in force in America.
Yet Mr Mugabe repeatedly exploits a significant loophole.
The travel ban does not apply to UN functions because these are held to be above the jurisdiction of any individual state. So Mr Mugabe has frequently visited New York to address UN summits.
He uses these occasions to denounce his western critics and blame them for Zimbabwe's food shortage.
In June, Zimbabwe's state press blamed Britain for Africa's dry weather and claimed that Tony Blair was using "chemical weapons" to cause droughts and famines across the continent.
Today he can be expected to seize the opportunity to make another attack on the Prime Minister and the "western imperialists" who are, apparently, obsessed with overthrowing his bankrupt regime.
I think I've discovered where Farrakhan gets his ideas.
Ping
Can any rational argument be made that such a person should be invited to speak to a UN-sponsored program on world hunger? And yet, what are the chances that anyone at the UN will be fired, or even have their hair mussed, as a result of this world-class stupidity? Which is still supported (20%+) by the American taxpayers!
Congressman Billybob
I think I've discovered where Farrakhan gets his ideas.
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Good point. Both are charlatan despots, both a criminals in their own right.
Can I have the opportunity to introduce the evil communist totalitarian dictator Robert Mugabe and to follow his speech (and hopefully demise)? I could find some really good stuff...
Mugabe must be one of the worst human beings alive.
Of course he should speak on hunger- he's caused more of it than any man alive.
Let us hope that there is a nasty, nasty 'accident' soon to happen.
an expert indeed!
I agree that he may be in for a surprise while he is gone. That is when you can oust these goons. Maybe Louie would like to invite him to his table. After all they are 2 legends in their own minds.
The organization's mission is to stop hunger. To do that, FA needs to raise money. Usually, the best way to raise money is to invite the leader of the country where there are a lot of hungry people.
Zimbabwe has a lot of hungry people.
Mugabe is the leader.
Hence, FAO needs to invite him.
Who says Zimbabweans have nothing to eat?
They have each other.
Mugabe confiscated private agricultural lands.
He gave them to the soldiers.
The soldiers took the irrigation piping and sold it for scrap metal.
They cut down the fruit trees for firewood.
Now they are wondering why the food won't grow.
They are hungry.
LOL!
Now that's what I call "stupidity".
Soldiers????? ummmmm not soldiers. TERRORISTS
WTF???!?!?!?!?
What the hell are we doing sending that evil bastard one thin dime??????
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