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Sweden urges Zimbabwe to mend ties with West
 HARARE - Sweden on Thursday urged President Robert Mugabes government to mend fences with the West as it joined a UN humanitarian drive to help Zimbabweans.
The Swedish donation of five million dollars (4.1 million euros) followed a United Nations appeal last year for humanitarian assistance to millions of Zimbabweans reeling from poverty, food shortages and galloping inflation. The Zimbabwean government has the ultimate responsibility for the humanitarian situation and long-term developments in Zimbabwe, Swedish ambassador Sten Rylander told journalists.
| Nice of you to notice, now could you stop giving money to the crooks there? |
The government needs to start building bridges and regain the confidence and trust of the international community, he said. Much more could be done to bring the country back to normal and pursue development policies that benefit the entire Zimbabwean population, he said.
| A firing squad would work wonders. |
UN resident co-ordinator Agostinho Zacarias said the donation from Sweden would be disbursed through UN agencies and aid groups to projects to feed the poor, pay school fees for AIDS orphans and launch self-help projects for jobless urban dwellers. He said the United Nations had so far raised 20 percent of the intended 277 million dollars for humanitarian assistance to Zimbabwe.
The scale of humanitarian needs in Zimbabwe is considerable and growing, the Swedish envoy said. The food security situation, the general decline in social services and the impact of the HIV/AIDS pandemic are major causes of concern.
| Remind us all why this is? |
Posted by: Steve White 2006-03-17 |
