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Zimbabwe PM criticizes British envoy on sanctions

31 January 2010 01:34 (UTC +04:00)

Baku. Ziya Agazade â€“ APA. DAVOS, Switzerland -- Zimbabwean officials have sharply criticized Britain’s foreign minister for what one called his "very patronizing" remarks on sanctions, saying those comments could hurt the African nation’s power-sharing negotiations, APA reports citing â€œThe Washington Postâ€.

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband incurred the wrath of Arthur Mutambara, Zimbabwe’s deputy prime minister, when he told the British Parliament earlier this month that sanctions should continue against Zimbabwe until Morgan Tsvangirai, the country’s prime minister, personally advocated for them to be lifted.

Mugabe’s government has been widely blamed for violence against his political opponents and their supporters, including Tsvangirai. Western nations accuse Mugabe of being responsible for an economic collapse that turned Zimbabwe from prosperity to poverty and left tens of thousands of its citizens struggling to survive.

Britain’s Foreign Office issued a statement Saturday saying that it, and not Zimbabwean officials, will decide when to lift the sanctions.