From the Rantburg Diplomacy Desk:| I assume this is a fairly standard diplo report, but still... |
Zimbabwean Minister of Foreign Affairs Stanislaus Mudenge met with his Iranian counterpart, Kamal Kharrazi, [in Tehran] Monday to discuss ways of consolidating bilateral ties. In the meeting, Kharrazi referred to the importance Iranian foreign policy attaches to Africa and said the Islamic Republic of Iran gives special priority to the expansion of ties with African countries, including Zimbabwe, and is ready to boost economic and trade cooperation with them.
Mudenge, for his part, expressed satisfaction with the upward trend in bilateral ties and expressed his country's desire to share Iran's experiences that have made it one of the most progressive (!) countries in the region. He pointed out that Zimbabwe has a high potential in the agricultural field and wants to enter into joint investment projects with the Islamic Republic in order to avail of Iran's cutting edge in agricultural facilities and machinery.
Expediency Council Chairman Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani also in a meeting with Mudenge referred to the importance given to African countries by Iranian foreign policy. He called for expansion of bilateral ties and urged implementation of signed agreements. Mudenge, who discussed briefly the political and economic situation in Zimbabwe, said the main obstacles to development work in his country were the interventionist policies of the U.S. and UK.| "Yeah, we can't develop anything other than malaria right now, on account of those stupid Western interventionists." |
"Land reform and processing of raw materials such as minerals and agricultural crops to achieve added value is the primary goal of the Zimbabwean government," he added. To achieve that goal, he said, "we need Iran's serious cooperation and experiences." |