‘US plotting to oust Mugabe’

HARARE – The United States is seeking to block global aid to economically-ravaged Zimbabwe to force President Robert Mugabe to step down, a state weekly said yesterday.

“The United States is rolling out yet another programme that seeks to block all avenues of donor assistance to Zimbabwe in a bid to force regime change,” The Sunday Mail reported. “In one of its recent strategic advisory documents to the US government, Harvard University’s John F Kennedy School of government implore s donors to withhold assistance to Zimbabwe until “recovery” is possible with new leadership.” it said.”No donor should provide assistance to the government at present …since recovery is impossible with the current leadership,” the weekly said quoting what it claimed was an extract from the document.Mugabe’s spokesperson George Charamba told the paper that such efforts would be fruitless.”The US vainly hopes that they can tantalise Zimbabweans through empty offers of aid to self-destruct,” Charamba said.”It is clear the US have a problem with the liberation ethos as well as its symbol President Robert Mugabe and are thus intent on reversing all that together with the gains of independence,” he said.”The overall intention is clearly to turn Zimbabwe into a neo-colony.”Zimbabwe’s economy has been on a downturn in the past seven years characterised by a hyper inflationary environment, high unemployment and chronic shortages of fuel, cooking oil and sugar.The government blames the crisis on targeted sanctions imposed on Mugabe and members of his inner circle by European Union members and Washington.In November last year, Zimbabwe summoned US ambassador Christopher Dell to warn him against “meddling with Zimbabwe’s affairs” after he accused Mugabe’s government of corruption.- Nampa-Sapa”In one of its recent strategic advisory documents to the US government, Harvard University’s John F Kennedy School of government implore s donors to withhold assistance to Zimbabwe until “recovery” is possible with new leadership.” it said.”No donor should provide assistance to the government at present …since recovery is impossible with the current leadership,” the weekly said quoting what it claimed was an extract from the document.Mugabe’s spokesperson George Charamba told the paper that such efforts would be fruitless.”The US vainly hopes that they can tantalise Zimbabweans through empty offers of aid to self-destruct,” Charamba said.”It is clear the US have a problem with the liberation ethos as well as its symbol President Robert Mugabe and are thus intent on reversing all that together with the gains of independence,” he said.”The overall intention is clearly to turn Zimbabwe into a neo-colony.”Zimbabwe’s economy has been on a downturn in the past seven years characterised by a hyper inflationary environment, high unemployment and chronic shortages of fuel, cooking oil and sugar.The government blames the crisis on targeted sanctions imposed on Mugabe and members of his inner circle by European Union members and Washington.In November last year, Zimbabwe summoned US ambassador Christopher Dell to warn him against “meddling with Zimbabwe’s affairs” after he accused Mugabe’s government of corruption.- Nampa-Sapa