Kenya pledges to help Zimbabwe get sanctions lifted
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E-mail Xinhua, February 6, 2019
NAIROBI, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta on Wednesday assured Zimbabwe of his government's support to ensure that the sanctions imposed on the southern Africa nation are lifted.
Kenyatta, who spoke in Nairobi after receiving a special message from President Emmerson Mnangagwa delivered by his special envoy Perence Shiri, said the sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe by Western countries are undermining its efforts to effectively serve its citizens.
"Imposing sanction is like tying somebody's hands and feet, they cannot move. We will give our support to bring back Zimbabwe to the global platform," Kenyatta said, according to a statement issued from his office after holding talks with Shiri.
Kenyatta's remarks come a day after Britain hinted at adding more names in the list of Zimbabwean individuals under targeted sanctions by the British government.
Harriett Baldwin, British Minister of State at the Foreign Office and Department for International Development, said Tuesday there is high level UK parliamentary interest in recent human rights violations by state security forces in Zimbabwe.
According to Baldwin, recent events in Zimbabwe have made it difficult for London to support Zimbabwe in clearing arrears with international institutions.
During the talks in Nairobi, Shiri briefed Kenyatta on the situation in Zimbabwe and called for Kenya's support to get the sanctions lifted.
Shiri said the Zimbabwe government was doing everything it could to address the challenges facing the country.
The special envoy said that plans are underway to ensure that those who lost property during the "land reform program" will be compensated.
The land reform program led to Zimbabwe's international isolation and sanctions from the U.S. and EU.
Harare has called on the U.S. government to lift its sanctions against senior government officials from the ruling party, which were imposed during former President Robert Mugabe's administration for violations of human rights and democracy.
The EU lifted several of its sanctions four years ago but those against Mugabe and his wife Grace still remain. Enditem
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