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even if the West does not reconsider its stance on the matter.
Speaking after meeting the Germany Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Hans Gunter Gnodtke at his Munhumutapa offices, Acting President Nkomo said Zimbabwe was moving forward despite the West’s failure to revoke the embargoes. “We were hoping that the West would re-examine their stance on Zimbabwe and help us promote development and reconciliation among Zimbabweans.

“Instead, they have conveniently chosen to call the sanctions restrictive measures, which they know will be divisive on our society creating suspicion and strife among our people,” he said.
He said the recent indaba on political violence by the three principals to the Global Political Agreement was a step in the right direction as the leaders committed themselves to promoting tolerance and acceptance of divergent views.

“We are all Zimbabweans. What the world wants to perceive as differences are not differences at all but only diverging political views that can be discussed and settled.
“The three leaders implored their followers to identify the differences and find solutions or mechanisms of dealing with the challenges. They agreed on a code of conduct to regulate their followers as they go about their political activities,” he added.
He said the Germany ambassador’s visit enabled him to get a feel of the Zimbabwean political processes currently underway and that the people of Zimbabwe were resilient and committed to what they believed in their sovereignty.

Ambassador Gnodtke conceded that the political processes in Zimbabwe (the GPA) must soon come to an end after which his country would reestablish ties with Zimbabwe.
“No one in Germany would want to see the sanctions go beyond the conclusion of the current political reform processes. Even the European Union will appreciate the need to revisit the restrictive measures once Zimbabweans achieve the targets they have set for themselves in the GPA,” he said.

Ambassador Gnodtke said Zimbabwe had a bright future as it was endowed with very good climatic conditions, an intelligent human resource base and vast minerals to transform its economy.
“Once the political reforms are concluded, we will resume our normal relations and more Germans will be coming here. Germany businesses have a lot of interest in the mining, agricultural and banking sectors, to name just a few.

“They will definitely come over to have a closer look at the opportunities that will come with the conclusion of your political reform processes,” he said.
Ambassador Gnodtke said Germany companies will next year participate at the Bulawayo Trade Fair as a way of exploring more business opportunities in Zimbabwe.