Zimbabwe warned over British embassy

British Foreign Minister Mr Brian Wilson has warned the Zimbabwe government that it cannot "pick and chose" which embassies it…

British Foreign Minister Mr Brian Wilson has warned the Zimbabwe government that it cannot "pick and chose" which embassies it protects.

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We certainly recognise that if they are pursuing this sort of vendetta against diplomats then Britain is a potential target for that
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British Foreign Minister Mr Brian Wilson

The warning came after militant members of the ruling party turned their attentions to the embassies of countries supporting the democratic reform programmes.

The Zimbabwe Foreign Ministry said in a statement yesterday that the government would not intervene if foreign agency personnel "indulge in partisan political work".

Mr Wilson told the BBC that the British High Commission was not in collusion with the opposition, but staff could face problems.

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"We certainly recognise that if they are pursuing this sort of vendetta against diplomats then Britain is a potential target for that," he said.

Staff would be given all possible support but the time has not come to bring them back to Britain, he said.

"There are a lot of British citizens there. We don't want to raise the temperature beyond where it already is and to talk about bringing people home would obviously send out a very sensitive message."

There was "constant diplomatic pressure" on President Robert Mugabe not just from Britain but also the Commonwealth and the rest of Europe, he added.

PA