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Polity
Published: 05 Jun 2004
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| Dlamini-Zuma rules out unilateral embargoes on Zimbabwe | |
| Foreign Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma on Thursday again
ruled out any unilateral application of trade embargoes against
Zimbabwe as a means of forcing change in that country. Asked at a parliamentary media briefing whether this would not be a good weapon to use to pressurise Zimbabwe, given South Africa is that country's major trading partner, she said embargoes should not be imposed by an individual country. Referring to the sanctions slapped on South Africa during the final decades of apartheid, she said the call then had come from the international community. "The United Nations called for the embargoes; the (former) Organisation of African Unity called for the embargoes. It wasn't individual countries. "In fact, the neighbours were the last ones. There was a multilateral decision to go for the embargoes. "No one country can bring peace, stability and solve anything in another country," she said. Questioned about calls from within Zimbabwe, by groups opposed to President Robert Mugabe's policies, for South Africa to impose trade embargoes, Dlamini-Zuma said government was receiving contradictory messages on this issue. "The very same people (in Zimbabwe) have said to us we must not have embargoes against Zimbabwe; the very same people – including the white farmers - have said so to us," she emphasised. "Instead of the civil society of Zimbabwe saying South Africa should push, if they really want whatever they want, they know the multilateral organisations they should be going to, and those...organisations will take it on," Dlamini-Zuma said. - Sapa |
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