The ZANU-PF party of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has denounced efforts by Western countries including the United States and Britain to re-engage the party, seeing such efforts at rapprochement as a camouflaged attempt at regime change.
ZANU-PF spokesman Rugare Gumbo said Western governments pretended to be ready to mend bilateral ties with Zimbabwe, but have a hidden agenda.
President Robert Mugabe met last week with US Ambassador Charles Ray following a similar meeting with Nicholas Wescott, top Africa diplomat for the European Union.
Gumbo told reporter Jonga Kandemiiri that the West has adopted this approach after realizing that its scheme to use the Movement for Democratic Change formation of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai to effect regime change has been foiled.
The ZANU-PF spokesman charged that the West has also resorted to funding non-governmental organizations as a means to infiltrate Zimbabwe.
But political analyst Charles Mangongera said ZANU-PF's denunciation of re-engagement reflected embarrassment at the release of US cables by Wikileaks showing some of its most senior officials in candid discussions with American envoys.
