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Britain accused of “crusade” against Harare

    JOHANNESBURG

    Zimbabwe Foreign Minister Stan Mudenge has accused British Foreign Office Minister Peter Hain of engaging in a relentless verbal onslaught against the Zimbabwean government.

    In a statement carried by ‘The Herald’ newspaper, he said Hain “has been on an unprecedented anti-Zimbabwe crusade”. Britain recalled its ambassador from Harare last Thursday to protest the opening of British diplomatic bags by customs authorities. Hain said Zimbabwe violated diplomatic protocol and had behaved in an “uncivilized” way by forcing open the shipment.

    Mudenge said Hain was a “loose cannon” who had repeatedly criticised Zimbabwe over its internal governance, in particular the confiscation of white-owned land. “Up until now I have chosen to ignore these unprovoked utterances as the excesses and overzealousness of a junior minister keen to make a name for himself,” Mudenge said.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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