Secretary Clinton Hosts Prime Minister of Zimbabwe

At the State Department today, Secretary Clinton hosted Prime Minister Tsvangirai of Zimbabwe.

Prior to their meeting, she made brief comments:

Text of her remarks:

SECRETARY CLINTON: “We are very pleased to have the prime minister with us today. Prime Minister Tsvangirai has been a longtime advocate for his country and the people of Zimbabwe on behalf of human rights and economic opportunity. As you know, he is now in a unified government that is attempting to move Zimbabwe forward into a better future. And I will be meeting with the prime minister today. He will be seeing the President tomorrow.

And I’m anxious to hear about the plans and the work that your government is undertaking and to look for ways that we appropriately can be supportive.

PRIME MINISTER TSVANGIRAI: Thank you.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Welcome, Mr. Prime Minister.

PRIME MINISTER TSVANGIRAI: Thank you very much. Thank you very much.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you, sir.

PRIME MINISTER TSVANGIRAI: It’s a pleasure.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you all.

QUESTION: Secretary Clinton, would you have – care to comment on the shooting in the Holocaust Museum?

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, it was a terrible tragedy, and the kind of hatred that the killer evidenced over many years toward different groups within our society is deplorable. And I hope that we will be able to send out a clear, unmistakable message that hateful rhetoric, violence based on any kind of discriminatory attitude toward any group in the United States is not acceptable, and that any groups or individuals who foment that kind of rhetoric, that unfortunately we see on the internet, or here on broadcast media, or shows up in pamphlets need to think very hard about the consequences of that kind of incitement. And my heart goes out to the victim’s family and those who were injured, and I hope that all of America will stand united against that kind of terrible action on the part of anyone who harbors those feelings and attitudes.

Thank you.”

Here’s a little bit of background on the difficult situation in Zimbabwe:

“Tsvangirai is on an international tour looking for assistance as his country seeks to emerge from years of economic chaos, which has seen rampant inflation and forced many Zimbabweans to flee the country.

In a television interview last month, Clinton said Mugabe’s departure would be in “the best interests of everyone” and that the United States would not resume aid to the Zimbabwean government as long as it could not be sure it would reach the people concerned.

Tsvangirai’s welcome abroad contrasts with the international chill towards Mugabe.

Both the European Union and the United States maintain a travel ban and asset freeze on Mugabe, his wife and inner circle in protest at controversial elections and alleged human rights abuses by his government.”

Secretary Clinton and Morgan Tsvangirai

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