The government has issued a follow-up statement, in support of its invitation to Alassane Ouattara to make a state visit to Botswana.
Opposition Botswana Congress Party (BCP) says President Ian Khama’s invitation of Ouattara, the presumed winner of Cote d’Ivoire’s presidential elections, for a state visit to Botswana before he is officially declared president of Cote d’Ivoire is “not only ill-advised but ludicrous”.
“Foreign Relations is a sensitive area and it requires governments to tread with extreme sensitivity and caution. It is true that Alassane Ouattara is widely believed to have won in elections but he has not assumed the reins of power yet. He is not the President of Ivory Coast. There is a stand-off. For now, it suffices to issue a statement endorsing him but to invite him to Botswana is an embarrassing and an unacceptable diplomatic blunder,” said Taolo Lucas, the BCP spokesman.
The party says Khama’s administration continues “a trend of reckless foreign policy positions that this country is notorious of”.
The BCP says it is worrying that as a country “we have a government that has chosen a rooftop diplomacy where we shout at other countries for transgressions against democracy without giving due regard to our situation or the sovereignty of those nations”.
The party warns that if Botswana continues on this path, the country risks alienating itself from other countries.
“This does not augur well for our future. We may live to regret the long term political and economic repercussions of our misguided foreign policy,” says Lucas.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said it had followed, with interest, reactions to the invitation extended to Mr. Alassane Outtara for a State Visit.
“Invitations by Heads of State to their counterparts are done for many reasons, such as to demonstrate solidarity; cement relations; open up avenues for engagement; or as an expression of goodwill towards each other,” said a statement. “In this case, the invitation to Mr. Ouattara, who virtually the entire International Community recognises as the winner of the November 2010 elections, also demonstrates Botswana’s unwavering respect for the popular will of the people of Cote d’Ivoire who freely chose Mr. Ouattara to lead them. By inviting Mr. Outtara, President Seretse Khama Ian Khama is, contrary to some opinions, lending support to ongoing efforts to bring political stability and legitimacy to Cote d’Ivoire.”
The ministry further said that the invitation is “fully consistent with wider international initiatives affirming recognition of Mr. Ouattarra’s election” and gave as examples the United Nations, which has endorsed Ouattara as the president elect of Cote d’ Ivoire.
“The UN has accredited Youssoufou Bamba as Cote Devoir’s UN ambassador; replacing Alcide Djedje, who represented Gbagbo,” the statement said. “Recently, African ambassadors at the UN further tendered their support to Ouattara; this includes African representatives in the Security Council.
The African Union and ECOWAS have also issued a joint communiqu├® in support of Ouattara.”
The ministry insisted that Botswana’s statement is also consistent with its own strongly held position of non-recognition of regimes that assume power through unconstitutional means, adding that Botswana’s view is that the people of Cote d’Ivoire have spoken and that their will has to be respected.
“To the extent that Botswana can be said to be practicing “rooftop diplomacy” with respect to events in Cote D’Ivoire, it should thus be apparent that we are part of a global crowd at the top of the building,” concluded the follow-up statement.
