Zimbabwe Arrest of U.S., British Diplomats Called 'Unacceptable'
By Benny Avni
June 6, 2008
The New York Sun
Original Source: http://www.nysun.com/foreign/zimbabwe-arrest-of-us-british-diplomats-called/79444/ http://www.nysun.com/foreign/zimbabwe-arrest-of-us-british-diplomats-called/79444/

UNITED NATIONS  With President Mugabe basking in the international limelight this week in Rome, where he rubbed elbows with world leaders at a U.N. food conference and met privately with Secretary-General Ban, his regime at home in Zimbabwe has presided over an intimidation campaign against his political rivals, and the detention yesterday of American and British diplomats.
Although the Western officials were freed after several hours, and Mr. Mugabe's chief political rival, Morgan Tsvangirai, was released after his arrest Wednesday and permitted to resume campaigning for president, America said it would not allow Zimbabwe's actions to be forgotten.
Mr. Mugabe's government this week also angered the United Nations by ordering private and nongovernmental organizations in Zimbabwe to suspend all field operations until further notice. While Mr. Mugabe was in the Italian capital at the food conference, convened by the U.N.-affiliated Food and Agricultural Organization, the FAO reported that poor rainfall and lack of seeds will result in a worse harvest in Zimbabwe this year than in 2007.
The edict has come at a time when food security in Zimbabwe is deteriorating, leaving an increasing number of people vulnerable, a U.N. spokeswoman, Marie Okabe, said. Millions of Zimbabweans are dependant on humanitarian aid in the present circumstances. ... The government of Zimbabwe should ensure that this edict is immediately rescinded and facilitate unrestricted access, as well as safety.
A convoy carrying five American diplomats, four Britons, and several Zimbabwean staffers was forced off the road by police officers yesterday, the American ambassador in the country, James McGee, said. Mr. Mugabe's supporters then spiked our vehicle and slashed the tires. The military came in, war vets came in, and they threatened to burn my people, Mr. McGee told reporters, wire services reported. Several hours later, the diplomats were let go, but not before their jailors badly beat up our local driver, the ambassador added.
It is outrageous. It is unacceptable. And while this immediate incident has been resolved, it will not be forgotten, a State Department spokesman, Sean McCormack, said.
We are going to raise this at the Security Council, Secretary of State Rice said. And I sincerely hope that this time the Security Council does not consider the mistreatment of diplomats to be an internal matter for Zimbabwe.
Several hours later, however, all the divided Security Council could muster was a short statement, read to reporters by an American diplomat, in his capacity as this month's president of the 15-member body. The council discussed the incident, the counselor for political affairs at the American mission to the United Nations, Jeffrey Delaurentis, said. The council expressed concern about the reports and also urged respect for the Vienna Convention, in particular, the protection of diplomats and property.
Mr. Tsvangirai, who was forced to agree to a runoff against Mr. Mugabe on June 27, despite winning the first round of voting this spring, was detained Wednesday for nine hours, reportedly because he was attracting large crowds. No charges were filed after his release.
Yesterday's arrest of the diplomats was symptomatic in a small way of the much wider intimidation and violence that ordinary Zimbabweans experience in the run-up to the election, a British U.N. ambassador, Karen Pierce, said. She added that she hoped officials from neighboring countries would be allowed to observe the runoff election in Zimbabwe. The important thing is to get a good number of observers in who have free access around the country, she said.
Mr. Ban on Tuesday tried to convince Mr. Mugabe to accept outside observers and allow a U.N. representative, Haile Menkerios, into the country, Ms. Okabe said. While U.N. officials said they have secured a tacit agreement for Mr. Menkerios's visit, a state-owned Zimbabwean TV station, ZTV, reported that Mr. Mugabe turned down Mr. Ban's request.