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Statement by Ambassador D. Bruce Wharton following his first meeting
with President R.G. Mugabe
US
Embassy
November 15, 2012
My wife Julie
and I are truly delighted to return to Zimbabwe to continue the
important work of building strong and respectful relations between
our two great countries.
President Mugabe
and I had a good discussion of where our relationship has been over
the last few years, and how we would like it to develop in the coming
years. I delivered President Obama's greeting to President
Mugabe and expressed the U.S. government's sincere desire
to find common ground to enhance the bilateral relationship.
My Embassy is
active in supporting Zimbabwe's health, agriculture, business,
cultural, and civil society sectors. We provide ongoing support
to the Zimbabwean Parliament and constitution-making process; and
we have invested more than one billion dollars in health and humanitarian
assistance in the last 10 years. The U.S. also promotes business
linkages, encouraging American investors to look closely at Zimbabwe's
educated labor force and long-term growth potential.
I pledged to
President Mugabe our continued support to the people of Zimbabwe
and their efforts to build a more just, prosperous and healthy society.
The Government of the United States and the Government of Zimbabwe
share this desire for a better future for the people of this great
nation. When we differ on the best means of achieving those goals,
I will seek to engage in a dialogue that is respectful and that
seeks to uphold the universal values and rights that Zimbabweans
fought so hard to gain 32 years ago.
Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton delivered a speech in Cape Town in August
of this year in which she stated the United States will meet "action
for action" in our relations with Zimbabwe. We support the
democratic reform process underway since the start of the Global
Political Agreement and, along with SADC and other friends of
Zimbabwe, we will stand by the people as this process reaches its
conclusion. U.S. policy toward Zimbabwe is not static, and will
respond positively to Zimbabwe's progress on the roadmap to
constitutional reform and elections.
In addition
to my government's primary policy interests of supporting
strong democratic institutions, sustainable economic growth, regional
security, and expanding opportunities for people and communities,
I am also personally interested in supporting women's empowerment,
education, conservation, freedom of expression, and the rights of
all people.
I will begin
my term here by listening and learning about the goals of the Zimbabwean
people, and how the U.S. can be a good partner. As I learn, I will
begin to add my own ideas in support of what is clearly best for
both our nations: a strong, prosperous, just and healthy Zimbabwe.
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