xrough

Australia 'funds Zimbabwe terror'


Zimbabwe's government has accused Australia of funding violence in an attempt to remove President Robert Mugabe from power.
In an interview, Zimbabwe's Information Minister Sikyaniso Ndlovu said Canberra was financing "terrorist activities" by channelling money to aid groups.

Australia is a vocal critic of Mr Mugabe and announced it was increasing funding to civic groups in Zimbabwe.

Relations were already bad after an Australian cricket tour was cancelled.

Announcing the tour boycott on Sunday over human rights concerns, Australian Prime Minister John Howard called Mr Mugabe a grubby dictator and said the "Mugabe regime at present is behaving like the Gestapo towards its political opponents".

Mr Ndlovu responded angrily in an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, accusing Mr Howard of acting in "Gestapo-like" fashion by banning the cricket tour which he said would have no effect in Zimbabwe.

Mr Ndlovu also warned that they would not tolerate any violence "by the puppets here who are funded by the Australian government".

"The monies that come to them are to cause violence - I've got a list, a long list of their terrorist activities here," he said.

Zimbabwe rejected an offer for the Australia cricket tour to take place in a neutral country.

This is the first time a government has acted to stop its cricketers travelling to Zimbabwe.

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JBG

What a load of rot.

If we really wanted to terrorise the people there we would be supporting Mugabe.

Jonathan

Parihaka

If you really wanted to terrorise people there you'd send over Barry Humphries

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In the realm of spirit, seek clarity; in the material world, seek utility.
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz

gf0012-aust

The tragedy is that those muppets actually believe the drivel that they promote.

JBG is right.

The sooner that loon is removed, the sooner the people of that country can start to regain their dignity. Mugabe and his muppets have put them back a generation - and its almost at the point where its economically irreversible within another generation.

RedArmySurplus

mugabe aint gonna make many friends that way......

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die, no0b

Bigfella

I can't think of ANYONE we hate that much.

If the West really wants to bring down Mugabe, send in Wolfowitz as an advisor. With his stellar record the entire regime will collapse within months.

On a serious note, the statements by the Zimbawean spokesman would rate as brilliant satire if the government he represented were not so bloody nasty. I wonder if he even believes them himself?

I'm glad we pulled the cricket tour of Zimbabwe, though there is a delicious irony in having that decision being made by Howard, given his vocal opposition to sanctions against Apartheid Sth Africa. Better late than never.

Shamus

We could send Hillary to keep him company.

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A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but
it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort.

xrough

I have no idea about history of Zimbabwe and Australia or Howard and Mugabe..does it because of political conflict or it was just a plain human rights issue?

Parihaka

A human rights issue, but also that Mugabe helps himself to the profits from the television rights.
As Bigfella points out, Howard has come recently to the issue having opposed any sporting boycott of South Africa during the apartheid era. I suspect that his opposition may be more aligned with the finance issue, i.e. they'd be putting money in Mugabe's pocket.