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| Australia boycotts Mugabe speech |
| 2005-10-18 |
| AUSTRALIA was the only country whose representative to a UN meeting boycotted a "disgraceful" speech by Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said today. Mr Mugabe used the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) anniversary meeting in Rome overnight to launch a withering denunciation of US President George W Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair. The Zimbabwe President described them as "the two unholy men of our millennium", comparing them with Hitler and Mussolini. Mr Downer today said Australia's representative at the meeting had walked out prior to the speech. "I thought his speech was absolutely disgraceful," the Foreign Minister said on ABC radio. "Australia, I am proud to say, was the only country whose representative walked out before President Mugabe's speech. "We boycotted his speech. I thought it was quite inappropriate for him to make a speech like that, and ironical and inappropriate for him to turn up at the meeting at all." Mr Downer said it would have been difficult not to invite Mr Mugabe to the FAO anniversary as Zimbabwe was a member of the United Nations. However, he said Mr Mugabe had made "an enormous mistake" in accepting the invitation and then making a political speech. "But he has also highlighted the simple point about Zimbabwe – that this is a country that used to be the ... food bowl of Africa, a major exporter of food, and under his regime he has simply decimated agriculture and they are begging now for food from the international community," Mr Downer said. Mr Downer said Mr Mugabe had destroyed the economy of Zimbabwe, and half the country was now suffering from a lack of sufficient nutrition. |
| Posted by:God Save The World AKA Oztralian |
| #9 same people who would impose political speech on the net...DON'T let it happen! |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-10-18 20:50 |
| #8 Earlier, Hall - the U.S. envoy -voiced objections about the invitation to Mugabe. In his speech, Mugabe called Hall an "agent of imperialism" and pointedly thanked the FAO's Senegalese secretary-general, Jacques Diouf, for "defying" the U.S. and inviting him. Jacques Diouf, definality on my shit list. This is a conference about food and agriculture, yet Mugabe has destroyed the farming and starved his people, explani Jacques! |
| Posted by: Ebbeck Shineng8015 2005-10-18 20:38 |
| #7 I'm sure there's a few of these around still http://home.wanadoo.nl/rhodesia/sscouts.htm |
| Posted by: Rhodesiafever 2005-10-18 18:57 |
| #6 Think I'll get out my trusty mission planning tools and start planning a few ARCLIGHT strikes against Zim-bob-waa-waa. Then old Boobby-baby will have something concrete to whine about - the piece lodged in his a$$. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2005-10-18 15:38 |
| #5 As you Aussies would say "Good On Ya Mate!" |
| Posted by: DMFD 2005-10-18 12:21 |
| #4 "By the way, folks - have you seen these photos of Bob sodomizing a goat?" |
| Posted by: mojo 2005-10-18 11:07 |
| #3 comparing them with Hitler and Mussolini The pot calling the kettle 'pot'™ You, Bobby Mugabe, had better hope Bush is not Roosevelt to your Hitler. Whistling past the graveyard, perhaps? |
| Posted by: Bobby 2005-10-18 08:52 |
| #2 the more i hear about the Australians and thier attitude to fck wit dictators like Mugumby the more i want to move out there, seems they are one of the if not the most sensible non sht taking countries out there, wish our goverment was more like the Oz goverment. I think they are the most underrated of all the civilised counties on our side. And in other news i got a new job today- yay. |
| Posted by: Shep UK 2005-10-18 08:09 |
| #1 Thank you, Mr. Downer. I could not agree with you more. You are certainly a man and country of honor. |
| Posted by: Rosemary 2005-10-18 00:49 |