Government has said that relations between Zambia and Cuba will continue to remain strong and intact despite Government’s handing over of the Note Verbale to Mr. Pages and the Cuban Government.
Minister of Foreign Afffairs Joseph Malanji said that the Cuban ambassador yesterday morning during a meeting accepted crossing the diplomatic red line when he pledged to support the newly formed opposition Socialist Party, adding that relations between the two countries cannot be soured by an earring officer.
Mr. Malanji, however, emphasised that there was no going back in the decision taken by government because Mr. Vilas crossed the line and that Cuba must send a new envoy to Zambia.
Government initiated the process to request Cuba to recall its ambassador for allegedly attending the launch of the newly formed opposition Socialist Party and pledging to support it.
And University of Zambia political lecturer Lee Habasonda has said that it was important for diplomats to always observe the rules and regulations of the country they are working in.
Mr. Habasonda said it is important for diplomats to avoid involving themselves in politics and internal affairs of other countries.
Mr. Habasonda however said that there was need for the government and the Cuban government to discuss the matter to find a solution.
And Yali Governance Advisor Isaac Mwanza said that the move by Cuban Ambassador to Zambia, Nelson Pages to pledge support to the newly launched Socialist party is against international law.
Mr. Mwanza said that it was disappointing that ambassador Pages got involved into active politics by publicly pledging support to the Socialist party.
Storm in a tea cup.
We need to stop making snap decisions based on emotions.
This is a story for conumptiom by those with little to do made by thuse with less to do delivered by those with less to do channelled directly to those with less to do through a media with less to do
Unless Cuba has become a softie under Raul Castro or Zambia is considered a none consequential state to him this won’t go down lightly. The Cubans are not known to do things conventionally they believe themselves to be revolutionary for this very reason !
Water under the bridge now.
I’m not sure what you benefit from Cuba and vice versa
Thanks
BB2914,2016
If Habasonda himself is a Political Lecturer based at UNZA he has crossed the red line and he should be fired from the university asap but if he’s a Political Science Lecturer that is a different story. There’s need for UNZA and the ZAMBIAN government to discuss Habasonda”a role failure to which there might be ripple effects.
I dont have nice words, except dirty stuff for today.
Mushota have you heard of Cuba? You have rigged LT BB 2914 polls. Go to sleep you had a late night at the nursing home.
Upnd and hh are capitalists but you will hear them supporting socialists just because they don’t like pf and ecl. These turds never ceases to amaze me because they don’t know what they stand for.
@analyser
What a rude man you are!
Be kind at times. 🙁
Thanks
BB2014,2016
Old news … Let’s roll
Mr Mulanji, don’t take consolation in your mistakes. Watch how Cuba will react. Have you taken time to read the Geneva Conventions Diplomacy? Wait Bwana Minister. Cuba is an old State and has gone through such diplomatic hiccups, including against such countries like the USA.
Cuba should be begging Zambia for Mercy!
How can the relationship with Cuba remain strong and intact after the humiliation of an all weather friend? Is that how you can best treat a friend that has always been there for you? Would it not have been better to just call the Cuban ambassador to the ministry of foreign affairs and remind him about what diplomatic etiquette demands of him and complain to the Cuban government? Wouldn’t admonishing the Cuban ambassador have been helpful to our relations with Cuba?
How can that be? Who is embarrassed here, if not whole of Cuba?
Sheer wishful thinking. It is Socialist Cuba represented by its socialist ambassador at the formation of a socialist party in Zambia – that is the country you have spat on in the face! It’s Cuba you have slapped!
Are there not 54 countries in Africa? Why may Cuba have to put up with this kind of embarrassment?
What specific statute or convention is Isaac Mwanza referring to here? Let him provide the complete citation….
Just how many people are you going to expel this year? There is what is called dialogue and reconciliation. You cannot be expelling people at whim, unless they are coming to support you? This is retrogressive and must be stopped forthwith. How many Zambian diplomats have misbehaved and expelled anyhow? Malanji should behave properly and act as an adviser to Lungu instead of letting stooges like Kaizer and this clueless spokespern put on a show together with Sumaili. They are tarnishing the image of the country. Time for damage control? Think before you act and don’t just act on impulse.
Some matters are not negotiable. We are not cowards. Rules are rules period. Unless you admit that vilas fkdup we cant take your comment seriously.
It’s disappointing to see people supporting such wrong action by Cuban ambassador . When he says I will support the Socialist party it means Cuba as a country is supporting Membe through its ambassador. It’s not attending the meeting which is a problem here but the utterances to support Membe. In any case who can survive if any ambassador accredited to Cuba did a similar thing in Cuba? Sometimes it’s better to keep quite if you know nothing about the implication of something than opening your mouth full of Kaponda.
Unfortunately under5s reasoning capacity is stunted and can’t think beyond tribe. Wait for their leader to support govts move for them to change their thinking of which i doubt hh to do.
Tell us why the other invited guests of socialist part were deported ? What diplomatic code did they break ?
We thinks lungu and his gang of thieves is just insecure
@Denkede. You’re absolutely right, these under 5s do not understand the meaning and work of an ambassador from another country. They’re full of nothing but trying to take their hh to state house. They oppose anything without thinking. If Cuba is going to support Membe it’s it’s supporting lawlessness of not paying tax and not paying wages to the workers. This membe is the law breaker and he must not be allowed to stand as the president. Law breakers must be kept under bars.
If law breakers must not be allowed to stand as president, tell us why lungu lost his law licence ??
Lungu nipompwe now a baboon left in control of a banana plantation. KOSWE LUNGU.
We say a reprimand was in order , we thinks lungu and his gang of looters are toooo insecure , if not tell us why he deported the other invited guests ?? What diplomatic protocol did they break ??
Go and ask hh since he is the only one you listen to. Whatever he says to you is truth.
Hehehehe …..oval head
You rats do not even have answers why you are deporting people when you start panicking…..
Paranoia is a dilspidating Condition…
That order to have the diplomat removed was born of fear and panic by lungu …..yes the diplomat did wrong , but why did lungu deport all other invited guests ??
That is the elephant in the room the kaponya insecure looters don’t want you to ask , what diplomatic protocol did they break , ?
and before you make foo.ls of your selfs in justifying lungus insecurity and paranoia , fred membe has all their travel documents to show all was in order …..
You need to be taught what it means to be a ambassador. Don’t bring your ignorance in public like that.
Musonda kateule
Since you know what it is to be a diplomat, tell us why the other guests were deported ?
Shaka like LILO. Which diplomat accredited to Zambia apart from the Cuban diplomat were deported on member meeting? Why do you talk about things you don’t understand kanshi?
lungu is becoming too power hungry, treating others like this is not the Zambia way no wonder there are questions about this dude’s origin and his advisers. Zambia are nice and welcoming people only Zimbabweans and some other country close to us are this mean. He is destroying our image and isolating us everyday. I hope someone would chase him away too when goes to visit.
It’s paranoia….
Cuba has been good to us for a long time – They have provided us with medical doctors, teachers, scholarships…etc. When dealing with a long time friend, it does seem right to take extreme measures when they falter just once. You tell them quietly kuti, mwana this is not good! Please change or you’ll affect our relationship. U Buntu! What is so difficult with that?
Frankly, the Government needs to be tolerant of divergent views – thats the meaning of democracy. The sending away of those dignitaries at KKIA is very bad image for the Country and the Presidency. We should allow freedom of assembly and freedom of speech much more if our image will be spared.
If we remember very well, I think the US Ambassador – Mr Mark Stollera then was very close and attended a PF National conference at Mulungushi in Kabwe And if RB was as vicious as ECL is today , it would be something else. I feel they Ministry of Foreign Affairs should have just talked to the Ambassador first and warn him over the statement that he would support a Political party. Therefore , there is nothing wrong with attendance but the pledge to support , therefore the action by government is…
No one is claiming that what the Cuban Ambassador did was right. Even him regrets that. The fact of the matter is that the Zambian Govt overreacted in a manner consistent with a bunch of scared insecure people. Pure and simple.
Cuba has unreservedly supported the Zambian people massively, particularly in the health sector, in our darkest hour. Cuba never needed Zambia. Zambia needed Cuba.
So, jumping to such extreme punitive measures without first covering the middle ground, the instant their official makes the first mistake is clearly overreacting.
And why deport the other Officials for merely attending? This is stup!d.
@BRABUS
You are the one who is stupid.
BRABUS is right…..you don’t even know why you are deporting people….
What the Ambassadors did was not right. What other guests were trying to do was not right. They had no role to play in the launching of political party really, because they will never join it nor are they ever going to vote in Zambian election. What Fred Meeembe did was not right unless he tells us what role they were playing or he tells us those countries who were coming will not support Lungu’s government or party.
They were observers …….when PF was in opposition observers from all over used to witness what there strategy wad going to be….there are no state secretes in launching a party..
That how you know who is Presidential material and who is not. Fred Meeembe want to do things in his own country he wants to set his country at war and then become President of it. OMG
…watching and waiting , as events starting unfolding … indeed time is the reveler, another line in the novel… thoughts from DR CM
I venture even further and tell you Cuba is the greatest pan-africanist by deed out there, stood at Angola’s side when then RSA invaded under CIA sponsorship, SWAPO, ANC, ZAPU and of cousre here in Zambia… whenever situations of national emergency including the recent Cholera emrged Cuba was there…KK and Fidel would have phoned and the thing would be of the past….poor Africa, poor Zambia – how far we have fallen; Cuba, one of the few countries that side of the Atlantic which TRULY sees itself AND LIVES as having African heritage having its ambassador hounded-out-of-town like a rabid-dog…Mother Afrika cries tears of blood today…muzaona maloza imwe ka !
Well said…..
I believe they over-reacted, I’m Cuban and I know how much we have supported African countries I’m not saying that what the Cuban official said was right but not enough for such measures! We see ourselves as African descendants and therefore help our allies but someone’s actions should not make to long-allies enemies or just not friends anymore, I think they over-reacted and should talk to Cuba fix what happend and keep been allies!
It’s not up to Zambia to state how the relationship will be – the things about relationships is they have two sides. Next they will be asking Angolan ambassador to clarify if dos Santos is a socialist or UNITA. Such is the level of drunkenness and failed brakes