The US has put an end to a simmering diplomatic row with Zimbabwe by issuing state television reporter Reuben Barwe with a visa allowing him to attend the on-going UN summit in New York.
Zimbabwe took the matter to the UN at the weekend complaining that the US was being "hostile". President Robert Mugabe accompanied by his wife Amai grace Mugabe and a huge delegation left for New York on Friday.Mugabe's spokesman George Charamba was on Tuesday quoted by state media as saying: "They had denied visas to two members of the delegation. The other one only got it at the airport after intense and persistent pressure through the machinery of Government".
Charamba, who is in the US, said: "A deputation was also sent to the UN Secretary-General and we shall continue applying this pressure on the US government". "Why America has decided to zero in on a journalist, I can't fathom. Perhaps they want to smother the voice of Zimbabwe so that we can't report to the world the grievances of illegal sanctions imposed on us by the Americans and their friends," said Charamba who is also the permanent secretary in the ministry of media, information and publicity,.
"Obviously this is futile and we shall continue to speak out, visas or no visas. Let the world recognise how unfair America has consistently been on Zimbabwe." However, by late Tuesday afternoon the US embassy in Harare had defused the tension. Sharon Hudson-Dean, the embassy spokesperson said: "His (Barwe) visa was issued to him today (Tuesday September 21)."
"There were approximately 80 members of the delegation, including the Air Zimbabwe crew.  The journalist, Mr. Reuben Barwe, is not part of the official delegation and his application was held up due to administrative processing," said Hudson-Dean. The Zimbabwe delegation travelled on a "chartered" Air Zimbabwe flight - even though all the airline's pilots were on strike. No explanation has been forthcoming from the troubled airline.
The pilots who are demanding payment of outstanding wages and allowances have given Air Zimbabwe till month end to redress the situation. The airline insists it has no money to meet these demands. By late yesterday it could not be ascertained if Barwe was still travelling to the US. Zimbabwe and the US will meet later this week to try and normalise relations strained a decade ago after the former embarked on a chaotic and often bloody farm take-over policy.

By The Zimbabwean