Zim mines minister denied visa

2009-06-23 13:20

Harare - Britain has denied Zimbabwe's mines minister a visa for an investment conference, fuelling anger in President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-pf party over continued Western sanctions on its officials.

Mugabe formed a unity government in February with arch-rival Morgan Tsvangirai, now prime minister, to try to end an economic and political crisis worsened last year by a disputed presidential poll. Tsvangirai is in London as part of a Western tour to drum up financial support for Zimbabwe's new government.

But on Tuesday, a Harare government official said Britain had refused mines and mining development minister Obert Mpofu a visa - under European Union travel sanctions against Mugabe and his top associates.

The minister had wanted to travel to London to address a conference this week on investment opportunities in the southern African country.

Undermine the inclusive government

"The minister did not get a visa and in our view all this does not make sense except to confirm that some people in London are pursuing their fight against Zanu-pf," the official said.

"They are trying to undermine the inclusive government with this sort of attitude."

The official declined to be named or to say how Zanu-pf would respond.

There was no immediate statement from the British embassy in Harare, which traditionally does not comment on visa issues, nor from the British government in London.

Britain pledged 5m pounds ($8m) to Zimbabwe on Monday but made clear more reforms were needed before it would start large-scale development aid to the shattered country.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown told Tsvangirai there were "great signs of progress", but the power-sharing government still had to meet a number of tests on the road to democracy.

- Reuters