05/21/2003
Powell Discusses Human Rights with Archbishop of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
Catholic cleric outlines country's political, humanitarian and rights crises
Washington -- U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell held talks centering on Zimbabwe's political, economic, humanitarian and human rights crises May 20 with the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Bulawayo, Pius Alick Ncube, a leading figure in Zimbabwe's domestic struggle for the restoration of human rights and the rule of law.
A State Department official who attended the meeting provided the Washington File with a readout of the conversation, which took place at the department in Washington.
The official said Secretary Powell expressed "enormous admiration" for the role the archbishop has played in promoting the well-being of the people of Zimbabwe -- and for speaking out against human suffering and human rights abuses.
Secretary Powell, the official said, had particularly wanted to meet with the archbishop to commend him for his courageous actions in defense of the Zimbabwean people and their civil and human rights.
Powell, according to the official, acknowledged that the church must determine its own role in Zimbabwe but praised the archbishop for his exemplary leadership and for "putting himself in a strong position on behalf of his own people."
The official noted that the secretary was very interested in hearing the archbishop's account of how serious the situation is in Zimbabwe -- with 80% or more of the country's population unemployed, an annual inflation rate of nearly 300%, serious shortages of food and fuel, and disastrous levels of HIV/AIDS infection.
Archbishop Ncube's visit to Washington is sponsored by the Zimbabwe Democracy Trust, a Washington-based nongovernmental organization, and is intended to draw attention here to Zimbabwe's political and humanitarian crises. Archbishop Ncube also traveled to London and Brussels on this trip to talk with senior UK and EU officials.
The meeting between the secretary of state and the archbishop was also attended by Assistant Secretary of State Walter Kansteiner, U.S. Ambassador to Zimbabwe Joseph Sullivan, and Father Michael Perry of the Catholic Archdiocese of Washington.
Archbishop Ncube has been an outspoken critic of the lawlessness and violence that has prevailed in Zimbabwe since 2000. He recently spurred the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishop's Conference to issue a pastoral statement calling for greater dialogue between government and civil society, and representatives of several other churches have responded by issuing public statements supporting the archbishop's stance.
(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
