US seeks to block Zimbabwe-bound Chinese arms

[maddezmom]

Source: AP

WASHINGTON - The Bush administration is intervening with governments in southern Africa to prevent a Chinese ship carrying weapons for Zimbabwe's security forces from unloading its cargo, The Associated Press has learned.

At the same time, the State Department's top Africa hand, Jendayi Frazer, plans to visit the region this week to underscore U.S. concerns about the shipment. Frazer also will try to persuade Zimbabwe's neighbors to step up pressure on President Robert Mugabe's government to publish results from a disputed election that the opposition claims to have won, administration officials said Monday.

U.S. intelligence agencies are tracking the vessel, the An Yue Jiang, and American diplomats have been instructed to press authorities in at least four nations — South Africa, Mozambique, Namibia and Angola — not to allow it to dock, the officials told The Associated Press. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss delicate diplomatic talks.

The ship, which is laden with large amounts of weapons and ammunition, already has been turned away from South Africa and Mozambique, and is now believed to be headed for Angola, possibly with a refueling stop in Namibia. The freighter left South Africa after a judge on Friday barred the arms from transiting South Africa and it was not immediately clear if U.S. lobbying had influenced authorities in Mozambique who stopped it from docking over the weekend.



Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080421/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_zimbabwe

[izquierdista]

1. Not out of any humanitarian concern

They are just pissed that they didn't close the sale first.

[Pavulon]

5. We dont compete in that price range..

really some things we do are not bad.

[whistle]

2. BushCo stopping the arms shipment so that the fascist nationals can

...continue their genocide under American and British direction :wtf:

[Zynx]

3. ???

[rcsl1998]

4. Yeah, ???

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

6. uhh... wha?

these weapons will be used by Mugabe's ZANU-PF to massacre the MDC and general population at large. I would say their interdiction would be a noble endeavor.

Sink the ship if you have to,