President Mugabe of Zimbabwe attended the African Union Peace and Security Council meeting held on March 10, 2011. Zimbabwe is launching a nationwide anti-sanctions campaign in this Southern African nation. a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.
Libya: Western countries are bloody vampires, says President Mugabe
By: DPA-TZG-AP
Posted: Tuesday, March 22, 2011 12:48 am
PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe on Monday accused the West of acting as 'vampires' who are after Libya's oil and of abusing the scope of a UN resolution backing a no-fly zone over the North African country.
"The West has been acting in the same hypocritical way as before," President Mugabe told journalists on Monday after a meeting with visiting Chinese deputy premier Wang Qishan..
"They interpreted (the UN Security Council Resolution 1973) to mean permission under it to bombard any places of their own choice in Libya, including civilian places even.
"Now it is the West which is bombarding Libya and doing it callously and they don't care who dies." he added.
"There is no reneging on the [Security Council] resolution (1973) any more," said President Mugabe.
"It's there and it's a mistake we made. We should never have given the West, knowing their bloody vampires of the past, all this room to go for our people in Africa."
The West will "place itself (in a position to) tomorrow be masters of Libyan resources, especially oil. And it is this oil, oil, oil which is the undoing of the Libyan people and we have supported it," he said.
The president also accused the West of acting outside the scope of the Security Council Resolution 1973.
Similar concerns over mission creep have been expressed by the Arab League which said the US, UK and France are going beyond the mandate of Resolution 1973.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin termed Western intervention as "defective and flawed" as it "allows for everything." According to him, there was no logic in killing civilians to ensure the unpopular government's ouster and the ease with which crucial decisions like these were taken was a cause for concern.
Putin had also said the resolution resembled "medieval calls for crusades.
President Mugabe said: "Libya was nevertheless a member of the African Union and we looked forward to it transforming its own system in its own way, not in the way they desire, and now taking advantage of the fact that it has been given that support, to place itself in a position in which tomorrow it would be master of the resources of Libya, especially oil.
"They would want Gaddafi to die. They have hit at his compound and killed a lot of civilians. They do not care at all," said President Mugabe.
The president's Zanu-PF party denounced Western intervention in Libya, while PM Morgan Tsvangirai's MDC-T has not taken a clear stance.
China abstained in the UN Security Council vote on Resolution 1973 authorizing the establishment of the No-Fly Zone over Libya and 'other measures'.
Three African countries Gabon, Nigeria and South Africa, all non-permanent members of the UN Security Council , voted for the resolution, infuriating some in the ruling African National Congress.
Incidentally, the African countries are members of the African Union which criticised military action against Libya.
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