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Envoy
says govt officials want crisis to continue
The Standard
(Zimbabwe)
December
10, 2006
http://www.thestandard.co.zw/viewinfo.cfm?linkid=11&id=5480&siteID=1
EFFORTS to revive
the economy are being hampered by government officials who are benefiting
from the crisis, a European ambassador said in Harare last week.
The Swedish Ambassador
to Zimbabwe, Sten Rylander, was speaking to journalists after the
signing ceremony of a grant advanced to the Legal
Resources Foundation (LRF).
He said there
was need for fruitful dialogue between key players on the Zimbabwe
political landscape in order to secure a better future for Zimbabwe.
"Some of the people
in government have been notorious for pointing fingers at us (Europeans)
for causing the problems," he said. "You can never do it on your
own as a country, but of course there are some people in government
who want the situation to remain as it is because they are benefiting."
The envoy said
the government should take good advice from the visiting International
Monetary Fund (IMF) mission on how to get the country "out of this
mess".
"As economic hardships
worsen, the environment is getting more and more difficult and also
fertile for corrupt practices. I believe that many people in government
know that you need international support to be able to turn around
this economy," said the Ambassador.
The Swedish government,
through its international development co-operation agency, Sida,
pledged US$680 000 to the LRF as an ongoing support for the free
legal assistance and human rights programmes run by the organisation.
"There is an urgent,
widespread need for the services provided by the LRF, because of
the very limited legal advice and assistance available in Zimbabwe,"
said Rylander.
He said in Zimbabwe,
the legal representation ratio is approximately one lawyer for every
14 500 people.
LRF executive
director, Deborah Barron, said their programmes were aimed at enhancing
the overall human rights environment for grassroots communities,
focusing on legal services.
Rylander has tried,
in vain so far, to build bridges between President Mugabe and the
European Union.
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