 President Thabo Mbeki criticised the United States for calling Zimbabwe an "outpost of tyranny" saying, in an interview published on Tuesday, that it went against Washington's efforts to promote democracy worldwide.
| "Yasss. We try never to call a spade a spade around here..." |
The comment attacked by Mbeki was made by US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice, who listed six "outposts of tyranny" last month; Zimbabwe, Belarus, Cuba, Iran, Myanmar and North Korea.
| Y'see, y'gotcher basic Axis of Evil, and then y'gotcher Short List of Awful. |
"It's an exaggeration and whatever (the US) government wants to do with that list of six countries, or however many, it's really somewhat discredited," Mbeki told the Financial Times.
| "I mean, just because they chased all the white people out of the country and stole their land and farm equipment, and they're a one-party state, and they beat up guys that try to form an opposition with ax handles and such, and they took the former Breadbasket of Africa and turned it into just another basket case... Well, nobody's perfect. I mean, the same thing could happen here in South Africa." |
South Africa has served as an important mediator with its troubled neighbouring state, trying to encourage reforms through a controversial "quiet diplomacy" that avoids overt criticism of human rights abuse, media clampdowns and harassment of the political opposition in the country. If South Africa were "to shout, they would shout back at us, and that would be the end of the story", he said.
| Have you given any thought to invading them and killing all the ZANU-PF thugs you can find? |
"I'm actually the only head of government that I know anywhere in the world who has actually gone to Zimbabwe and spoken publicly very critically of the things they're doing." Mbeki characterised his relations with Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe as "very good", and repeated his wish to see a "free and fair" vote in parliamentary elections being held there next month.
| And I hereby repeat my wish for a full head of hair, a disappearing lard gut, and a weekend in the Poconos with Patty Ann Brown. Good luck, Thabo. |
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