Government summons EU ambassador over Sejusa remarks The government yesterday ordered foreign diplomats accredited to Uganda not to meddle in its internal affairs, days after Ambassador Roberto Ridolfi, the head of the European Union Delegation, re-opened the touchy debate on President Museveni’s succession. Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday summoned Ambassador Ridolfi to explain his criticism of the President’s State-of-the-Nation address, which the envoy said should have covered the controversies surrounding spy chief Gen. David Sejusa a.k.a. Tinyefuza, Uganda’s leadership transition and the closure for 11 days last month of media houses. Yesterday, the diplomat and the State Minister for International Affairs Mr Henry Okello-Oryem met for about an hour at the ministry headquarters in Kampala where government expressed its disappointment over the ambassador’s comments Daily Monitor reported on Wednesday. In the article, Ambassador Ridolfi was quoted as having said Museveni’s State-of-the-Nation delivered on June 6 omitted some key issues. “I think the people of Uganda were expecting references to this (Gen. David) Sejusa affair, the fight against corruption and the closure of the media (houses). These references could have been done positively,” he said. The envoy, speaking at Speke Resort Munyonyo during the launch of a national coalition of six human rights organisations, delved into the sensitive issue of Museveni’s succession, offering that Uganda was not a “monarchy” and only a “free and fair” election would safeguard its democratic transition and political gains. The 27 years the President has been in power was “very long” a period, Ridolfi noted
Posted on: Sat, 15 Jun 2013 06:01:46 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015