Sparc you’re a class act 
I meant to say this in the WN thread but I’ll say it here.
Here’s a slightly less hysterical version of the news item.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L18441147
So it’s important that they talk. Gee, I’d say, “Props to the Suits for being flexible.” This means that they all have to fly to Maputo (Motto: “More Than Just Your Average African Hellhole”), when they could have been meeting in Copenhagen (Motto: “Porn Now”).
http://travel.lycos.com/destinations/location.asp?pid=324593
Suit #1: “Look, a tile floor!”
Suit #2: “Yes! And over there–a cafe! Shall we examine it?”
Suit #1: “Yes, but do not eat any unpeeled fruits or vegetables.”
And no doubt they will be staying at the prestigious Holiday Inn.
http://www.afrol.com/News2001/moz010_hotel_maputo.htm
Um, “undiscovered pearl” is standard TravelAgent-speak for “there’s nothing to do”.
The official Mozambique Tourism website.
http://www.mozambique.mz/turismo/emaputo.htm
I rest my case. 
You’re a leftist, aren’t you? 
You haven’t yet said whether you support the sanctions.
The latter. That point was already established in an earlier thread by quotes from the EU’s ex-head of finance and others.
That’s a fair point. I might well have left Israel out of the thread.
Right, it’s a tough challenge.
Duck Duck Goose made a similar point, writing
You both have a point, and yet it’s unsatisfactory. There’s something to be said for these sanctions and something to be said for having Zimbabwean reps at meetings, but it’s logically impossible to do both simultaneously.
DDG, thank you for your cite. It indicates that the sanction policy undermined by Danish Foreign Minister Per Stig Moeller was not the EU’s alone, but was a joint policy of the EU, together with the United States, Canada, New Zealand and Australia. IMHO it was not right for this Minister to unilaterally undermine a broad international agreement.
I fully withdraw my slam about the EU ministers wanting to meet in a plush location. DDG, your argument has convinced me that the OP was wrong in that respect.
december1 and december2:
1: In a feeble effort to do something about Robert Mugabe’s genocidal government in Zimbabwe, the EU had adopted travel restrictions on Zimbabwean government officials.
2: …the sanction policy undermined by Danish Foreign Minister Per Stig Moeller was not the EU’s alone, but was a joint policy of the EU, together with the United States, Canada, New Zealand and Australia.
1: Thanks a lot ministers! …Without them, you wouldn’t have an excuse to use tax money to stay at lavish hotels and eat at gourmet restaurants.
*2: I fully withdraw my slam about the EU ministers wanting to meet in a plush location. *
1: And, this is the same European Union which lectures the US and Israel on moral matters.
*2: That’s a fair point. I might well have left Israel out of the thread. *
1: Secondly, the EU sanction is a joke. […] Finally, some EU leaders undermining their own feckless policy.
*2: You both have a point, and yet it’s unsatisfactory. There’s something to be said for these sanctions and something to be said for having Zimbabwean reps at meetings, but it’s logically impossible to do both simultaneously. *
You know, december, if you would bother to do a little background research and a little logical thinking before you post an inflammatory rant, you wouldn’t have to embarrass yourself by eating so much of your OP!
Now that you seem to have calmed down a little, I join other posters in inquiring what you think the EU and US should do about the Mugabe regime. I note that State Department officials apparently do not consider the Zimbabwean genocide important enough to justify the sort of intervention that is being threatened for Iraq:
Which is cool, but sounds pretty much like what the EU approach is too: in fact, even their unscrupulous evasion of the sanctions policy, as DDG points out, is precisely so that they will be able to “prod neighbouring governments to press for democratic change” by holding this meeting.
Since, as you now admit, the Zimbabwean situation “is a tough challenge”, what are you proposing we should do about it?
Kimstu, my attorneys will be contacting you re: billing for the heart attack caused by the intitial viewing of your posts, labeling "december 1 & december 2, the “omygodnohe’sbreeding” nearly caused my demise.
and Fenris I rarely do this but : “Me Too”, can I blame Twisty too???
Whilst state sponsored terrorism is ugly and reprehensible, I have yet to see true evidence of genocide.
Perhaps a few cites on the thousands of deaths of some repressed group would be instructive.
What we do have in Zimbabwe is a regime that eliminate political opponents and has done for decades, but this itself is not genocide.
Decembeber I note that you seem to choose the terms, use them accurately please, Mugabe is keen to eliminate any opposition, be they white descendants, black or simply from another tribe, murder of political opponents is not yet defined as genocide and I suggest you look the term up in any dictionary.
I do not pretend Mugabe is anything but a tribal gangster, but to try and place responsiblity on another party is just sick and this , by extension, makes you sick.
Would you care to elaborate how in any direct way EU nations bear responsibility for the behaviour of Mugabe’s state supported thugs, or will you have the moral courage to back off and say that the regime in Zimbabwe bears it own unique responsiblilty for the evil it currently enacts.
Me, I would guess you are a coward, you will hold anything and anybody to blame for actions that they have little influence over.
I have seen the garbage you have posted to date, it is racist, it is biased, it ignores humanity and completely bypasses reality, you, sir are a fool!!
That’s not the worst of it, wring. We go all the way from december 1 to december 31.
Happy New Year!
december starting a thread after doing research is as about as likely as the Weekly World News running a true story. Or the executives of Enron admitting they ran the company into the ground. Or the US Congress voting to lower their salary.
Sorry, should have been “responsible research.” I have no doubt december does research prior to posting, problem is he ignores the bits that don’t agree with his predrawn conclusions.
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Kimstu * I join other posters in inquiring what you think the EU and US should do about the Mugabe regime. I note that State Department officials apparently do not consider the Zimbabwean genocide important enough to justify the sort of intervention that is being threatened for Iraq:
That State Department quote makes me want to puke. A tyrannical government is conducting genocide, and this is the best our State Department can come up with.
I’m happy to move this thread to a discussion of what the world community should do about Zimbabwe. I hope other posters will contribute, because I have no expertise.
What the world’s obligation is to purely internal crimes against humanity? The general rule seems to be not to overthrow a dreadful government if they’re not causing trouble to other countries. ISTM that this rule isn’t good enough. When a government is doing something truly horrendous to its own people, the world should take action – militarily if need be. Ideally this action would be through some international organization, if there were one that was up to the job.
What do you think?
december, why don’t you go hunt up JanL’s board?
I think you’d be a lot happier there.