News / National
Zimbabwe warns French envoy over Dzamara utterances
18 Jul 2015 at 18:25hrs | Views
The phenomenon of missing persons is a universal one which happens in all countries including Europe but governments are never accused or insinuated to be responsible for missing persons.
In a wide ranging interview responding to recent utterances by French ambassador to Zimbabwe Mr Laurent Delahousse on Bastille Day celebrations in Harare last week, where he paraded the wife and child of missing Itai Dzamara implied that government is responsible for his disappearance, Foreign Affairs Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi said anyone implying that Dzamara's disappearance is political is being mischievous and is attempting to score cheap political points.
Minister Mumbengegwi said it is unacceptable for an ambassador accredited to Zimbabwe to dabble in the country's' politics.
Mumbengegwi said national days are never meant for the two countries to altercate but to illustrate their friendship and that they provide an opportunity to illustrate how the two sides are working on building that friendship.
He said the French ambassador was summoned by the Zimbabwean government to be reminded of his obligations under the Vienna Convention which establishes diplomatic ties that no diplomat is allowed to interfere in any way in the domestic affairs of another country.
He has been warned that such behaviour will not be tolerated and if any diplomat wants to be a politician, Harare is the wrong place.
He said if the French ambassador wants to be a politician he should ask his government to take him back to Paris and that if he is contemplating being a politician, Zimbabwe will be forced to undertake the unpleasant duty of facilitating his return.
In a wide ranging interview responding to recent utterances by French ambassador to Zimbabwe Mr Laurent Delahousse on Bastille Day celebrations in Harare last week, where he paraded the wife and child of missing Itai Dzamara implied that government is responsible for his disappearance, Foreign Affairs Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi said anyone implying that Dzamara's disappearance is political is being mischievous and is attempting to score cheap political points.
Minister Mumbengegwi said it is unacceptable for an ambassador accredited to Zimbabwe to dabble in the country's' politics.
Mumbengegwi said national days are never meant for the two countries to altercate but to illustrate their friendship and that they provide an opportunity to illustrate how the two sides are working on building that friendship.
He said the French ambassador was summoned by the Zimbabwean government to be reminded of his obligations under the Vienna Convention which establishes diplomatic ties that no diplomat is allowed to interfere in any way in the domestic affairs of another country.
He has been warned that such behaviour will not be tolerated and if any diplomat wants to be a politician, Harare is the wrong place.
He said if the French ambassador wants to be a politician he should ask his government to take him back to Paris and that if he is contemplating being a politician, Zimbabwe will be forced to undertake the unpleasant duty of facilitating his return.
Source - zbc
