South Africa’s president insists it’s not up to Washington to determine his country’s diplomatic ties
17 Sept 22 partly from Western Banned News Agency via thefreeonline
President Joe Biden walks with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa outside the West Wing of the White House
SEE DISCUSSION BELOW
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has urged the US to not “punish” African nations by pressuring them to cut ties with Moscow, pointing to legislation passing through Congress which calls for more US intervention on the continent.
Africa has recently shown some resistance to Western oppression including military bases, rejecting forced acceptance of lethal ineffective Covid vaccines and the Great Reset sellout via the WHO.
After meeting with US President Joe Biden on Friday, Ramaphosa spoke with reporters about the bill, the Countering Malign Russian Activities in Africa Act, saying the measure “will harm Africa and marginalize the continent.”
“We should not be told by anyone who we can associate with,” he added, noting South Africa’s long-held policy of non-alignment among world powers.
Mali has told the European state that it must remove its military forthwith
Though the two leaders exchanged pleasantries during their sit-down and did not mention the Russia legislation – as detailed in the White House readout of the discussion – Ramaphosa separately spoke with the Congressional Black Caucus during his visit and again offered criticism of the bill.
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South Africa is “concerned [about] the possible implications for the African Continent if the ‘Countering Malign Russian Activities Bill’ were to become US law,” he said, adding that it could have “the unintended consequence of punishing the continent for efforts to advance development and growth.”
Pretoria considers both Washington and Moscow to be “strategic partners,” the president continued, urging American lawmakers not to “punish those who hold independent views,” especially at a time when “President Biden has sought to engage African countries on the basis of respect for their independence and sovereignty.”
However, US policymakers have insisted the bill does not propose any punishments for African states that opt to continue ties with Russia, with National Security Council spokesman John Kirby saying “the United States isn’t making anybody choose between us and somebody else, either when it comes to Ukraine or in the Indo-Pacific region.”
“Broadly speaking, there’s no punishment here intended for anybody,” Kirby told reporters on Friday, adding “We respect sovereignty.”
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Current policies are designed to create a food and debt crisis for poorer nations especially. The US can use this debt crisis to force countries to continue privatising and selling off their public assets in order to service the debts to pay for the higher oil and food imports.
This imperialist strategy comes on the back of ‘COVID relief’ loans which have served a similar purpose.
In 2021, an Oxfam review of IMF COVID-19 loans showed that 33 African countries were encouraged to pursue austerity policies. The world’s poorest countries are due to pay $43 billion in debt repayments in 2022, which could otherwise cover the costs of their food imports.
Oxfam and Development Finance International have also revealed that 43 out of 55 African Union member states face public expenditure cuts totalling $183 billion over the next five years.
The closure of the world economy in March 2020 (‘lockdown’) served to trigger an unprecedented process of global indebtedness. Conditionalities mean national governments will have to capitulate to the demands of Western financial institutions.
These debts are largely dollar-denominated, helping to strengthen the US dollar and US leverage over countries.
The US is creating a new world order and needs to ensure much of the Global South remains in its orbit of influence rather than ending up in the Russian and especially Chinese camp and its belt road initiative for economic prosperity.
Related from The Free
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Busy Power Freaks imposing Vaccine Passport Control scams worldwide August 10, 2022
Discuss
African leader tells US not to ‘punish’ continent
Linguist
South Africa knows what side its bread is buttered; if it stays in BRICS it will thrive!
SharpKnife24
But people here are beyond fine with Russia trying to tell Ukraine what to do.
neeckoo
NO, he’s punishing his own American people at home !
Lectrodectus
America Threatens African Countries With Retribution If They Continue Their Relationships With Russia/China Etc… The Real Reasons Behind This The US Empire Are Desperate To Hold Onto Their Source Of Cheap Minerals/ Diamonds/ Gold/ Oil/Gas Etc…..Explain To Me How Washington Has The Legal Right To impose Laws ( They Create) Onto Other Countries To Protect Their Own Economic Interests. I Would Say Any Sanctions /Laws To Be Imposed Onto any Country Should Be Put To The UN To Be Voted On…However The UN (As We All Know) Is Neither Independent Nor Impartial Because US Own/Control It So, Why Does it Exist/ What Is The Point Of It.
Andrew Kelly
Mr Kirby is a brazen liar or a fool. The US respects sovereignty? Just ask Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Libya, etc etc…
Continue reading “African Dollar Debt to keep it an enslaved ‘Cash Cow’ – African leader warns US not to ‘punish’ Continent”
