PRESIDENT SATA DECLINES MALAWI COMESA SUMMIT INVITATION

President, Michael Sata has turned down an invitation from Malawian President, Bingu Wa Mutharika to attend the COMESA summit set to be held in that country.

He has explained that he is unable to attend next week’s summit in Malawi because of being declared a prohibited immigrant in Malawi following his deportation in 2007.

Speaking when he met President Bingu Wa Mutharika’s special envoy at State house David Bandawe, President Sata says until Malawi formally deals with the matter, he fears being embarrassed if he travelled as he is still regarded as a prohibited immigrant.

Mr. Sata told the envoy that he thought he was bringing the revocation of the prohibited immigrant declaration.

He told Malawi’s high commissioner to Zambia David Bandawe after he delivered an letter inviting the Zambian leader to the summit that he is fully aware of the dilemma he is in with the Lilongwe government.

Mr Sata narrated that he went to Malawi to visit an opposition leader and the government there bundled him into a vehicle and said he was a prohibited immigrant, further stating that since then, the Malawi government has not been courageous enough to apologise and therefore he finds it extremely difficult to go to Malawi.

President Sata has instead assigned Vice President, Guy Scott to lead the Zambian delegation to the COMESA Summit.

Meanwhile, President Sata has ordered the reinstatement of all Copperbelt University students who were expelled for expressing displeasure at the re-appointment of Dora Siliya, as Minister of Education after a judical tribunal ruled that she breached the law over the award of a contract to RP Capital which was single-sourced to evaluate Zamtel.

And Mr. Sata has also directed the NAPSA management to reinstate the Director of Finance who was dismissed for challenging a questionable transition that would cost the authority billions of pensioners’ money.