Blair was ambushed says British press

SAPA-AFP via SABC News (SA) ^ | September 3, 2002

[Clive]

British newspapers today said President Robert Mugabe had subjected Prime Minister Tony Blair to a humiliating ambush after "hijacking" the UN Earth Summit in Johannesburg to blame Britain for Zimbabwe's crisis. Tensions between Zimbabwe and Britain, its former colonial ruler, overshadowed Monday's summit negotiations on the environment, the papers said.

Mugabe walked out when Blair addressed some 100 heads of state and government gathered in Johannesburg for deliberations on alleviating extreme poverty and protecting the environment. In his own address, Mugabe told Blair to "keep your England and let me keep my Zimbabwe".

Meanwhile, Namibia's President Sam Nujoma called for an end to sanctions against Zimbabwe and accused the West, particularly Britain, of mounting a campaign against the southern African state.

Britain's right-wing Daily Mail said the attacks showed "the so-called international community at its poisonous worst". The paper, whose front page headline was "Ambushed", added: "It is difficult to imagine an uglier display of hypocrisy or a worse advertisement for the investment Africa so desperately needs."

Trevor Kavanagh, the political editor of the Sun, Britain's biggest selling daily tabloid, said: "The surprise was not that he (Mugabe) delivered such a chilling message of hate. The real shock was the fervent applause for his inflammatory outburst. It was a worrying spectacle at the Earth Summit ... staged to end the sort of poverty over which Mugabe presides."

Britain has been at the forefront of EU and Commonwealth sanctions - including a travel ban on dozens of key officials - aimed at isolating Mugabe's government. Mugabe is under fire in the West for his seizure of white farmers' land for blacks when six million people - about half the population - are facing the threat of starvation. His land policy, which recently saw more than 300 white farmers arrested for refusing to leave their land, is seen as having hurt agriculture and contributed to the food crisis. - Sapa-AFP

[Clive]

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[YaYa123]

So...where's the surprise? Blair should have followed the example of President Bush and stayed away.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

When Marxism causes famine in Africa, Tony Blair calls it a "natural disaster."***He said: "The situation in Zimbabwe is a complex food crisis: a combination of two years of poor rain, a very challenging political and economic environment, compounded by a catastrophic HIV/Aids crisis. Much of the urban and rural population are living off one meal a day. If food doesn't come in, in a very sizeable quantity, that will be going down to no meals at all." Tony Blair pledged British backing for the international effort last night. The Prime Ministersaid: "It is a genuine tragedy this natural disaster has been visited upon the people of southern Africa. The consequences are potentially very serious and we have ordered action at every level we can."***

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Zimbabwe's Mugabe Rips Rich Nations - while stuffing his stomach and pockets

[7thson]

Bottom line - this is what happens when you try to rationaly deal with sociopaths. One of these days, these idiots from Europe and in America will have to wake up and realize that you cannot make deals with animals.

One of my favorite scenes from the Wyatt Earp movie with Kurt Russell is when he and his brothers chase down the bad guys and run them into the ground. That is how you deal with criminals and murderers - you hunt them down like mad dogs and exterminate them.

[YaYa123]

Thanks for that link...I was looking for it. Anon was the lead cheerleader for this Bash Bush chorus. I'm sick of the whole continent, but even sicker of the way civilized countries suck up to socialist savages.

Clean up the environment? Feed the hungry? Not till they learn to say "please" and "thank you".

[YaYa123]

"When will they ever learn?"
You can't make nice nice with thugs, blackmailers, and murderers! Not on the playground, and not in world politics. Maybe Tony Blair has learned an important lesson.

[MadIvan]

Clean up the environment? Feed the hungry? Not till they learn to say "please" and "thank you".

Shouldn't do it out of general principles. Taiwan and Hong Kong got limited aid and they managed to fix themselves up.

Regards, Ivan

[Cincinatus' Wife]

I'm sick of the whole continent, but even sicker of the way civilized countries suck up to socialist savages.

They're sucking up to immigrant voters at home.

[YaYa123]

Colin Powell has arrived at the Summit. Makes me wanna puke buckets. Punching bags..why in the world would we allow ourselves to be used as punching bags for those who would support terrorists.(Evidently we are no smarter than you guys, giving that gabfest credibility by attending.)

My message to the UN Summit = Shut Up.

[MadIvan]

Colin Powell has arrived at the Summit

Oh dear God, how much do you want to bet he'll be all kissy-face with Mbeki and Mandela by conference end?

This conference is a travesty and a waste, it never should have occured in the first place.

Regards, Ivan

[Miss Marple]

Powell isn't there for the summit (although it makes a nice cover), but rather to discuss other things with people there. He has been quite busy behind the scenes.

A general rule of this administration is to pay attention to whom is NOT in the public eye, because they are usually doing something.

[MadIvan]

A general rule of this administration is to pay attention to whom is NOT in the public eye, because they are usually doing something.

Ah. Now if Ms. Rice had accompanied him...hmmm.

Regards, Ivan

[YaYa123]

"They're sucking up to immigrant voters at home"

Wife, that's not worthy of you. "Sucking up for votes" is just one more slightly sleazy, political tradition, and unlike the subject at hand, it doesn't affect the end of civilization as we know it.

Besides, I want immigrants to become hard-working, tax paying contributors to the American way of life. Thanks to Al Gore's Reinventing Government INS scheme, we've got a lot of work to do to re-capture the immigrant vote. I don't mind conservatives trying to do just that.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

I'm thinking mostly of the EU when I throw that out. I too believe immigrants continually give America liberty sustaining transfusions. But LIBERALS have been too good at crushing initiate while weakening filtering requirements for immigration and citizenship.

[YaYa123]

Thanks for the clarification. You remind me....the ghetto-like, scary, middle eastern enclaves in quite a few European cities, especially Germany. Not pretty.

[Great Dane]

Yes, he certainly was ambushed, but does anyone think he will learn from this experience.. not likely, he will just turn the other cheek.