Blair's Embarrassment at Earth Summit

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, September 03, 2002

Blair's Embarrassment at Earth Summit

African leaders staged an orchestrated public humiliation of British Prime Miniser Tony Blair at the Earth Summit when they blamed him for the crisis in Zimbabwe.

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African leaders staged an orchestrated public humiliation of British Prime Miniser Tony Blair at the Earth Summit when they blamed him for the crisis in Zimbabwe.

His embarrassment was compounded by the loud applause of other leaders as President Nujoma of Namibia accused him of being a modern-day colonialist and later President Mugage of Zimbabwe told him: "Blair, keep your England and let me keep my Zimbabwe."

Mr Mugabe, who staged a walkout when Mr Blair rose to address the summit, also threatened to shed blood if that was what it would take to continue his controversial land reforms, under which hundreds of white farmers have been evicted from their land.

The first attack on Mr Blair came moments before he was due to speak, when Mr Nujoma accused him of causing misery in Zimbabwe by the imposition of sanctions.

Mr Nujoma said: "We here in Southern Africa have one big problem, created by the British. The honourable Tony Blair is here and he created the situation in Zimbabwe. The EU who have imposed sanctions against Zimbabwe must raise them immediately, otherwise it is useless to come here."

Mr Nujoma said that he supported Mr Mugabe's evictions of hundreds of white farmers from their land, and referred to Africa's suffering under the slave trade.

Mr Mugabe, speaking several hours later when Mr Blair was not present, claimed that the black majority of Zimbabwe had been pitted against "an obdurate and internationally well-connected racial minority largely of British descent . . . colonial farmers now being supported and sustained by the Blair Government". He said that no white farmer would be left without land and that his policy was to allow them one farm each.

Mocking Mr Blair's call for good governance in Zimbabwe, Mr Mugabe said that the "imperialist interest" of Britain "does not represent good governance. Our cause is that land comes first before all else." He shrugged off EU sanctions and said that he did not want to be part of Europe. "Small as we are, we have won our independence and we are prepared to shed our blood in . . . protection of that independence."

Mr Blair restated Britain's commitment to playing its part. "Development is our priority. Africa for me is a passion. This is not charity, it is investment in our collective future. Of course poverty damages the poor most, but it also damages the whole of the world.

"It means changing the way we consume resources, particularly energy, and it means the whole world facing up to the challenge of climate change. Kyoto is right and it should be ratified by all of us."

Mr Blair's spokesman said that the criticism by African leaders "was greeted with a shrug, not by shock horror".

Source: Agencies

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