News Desk |
After Pakistan Pakistan denied that the issue of terrorism had been discussed at all, in a phone call, between U.S. Secretary Mike Pompeo and Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, South Africa has called out to the U.S. for their President’s “narrow perception” about South Africa.
In a tweet, President Donald Trump, stated that he has directed Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to look into the “large scale killing of farmers” in South Africa after a Fox News host said land seizures by the government were being ignored.
Read more: State Department stands by original readout of phone call between Pompeo and Imran Khan
“It is extremely disturbing that the President of the United States echoed a longstanding and false white supremacist claim that South Africa’s white farmers are targets of large-scale, racially-motivated killings by South Africa’s black majority,” an Anti-Defamation League said in a statement.
A spokeswoman for Ramaphosa said Trump was “misinformed” and his government shot back in a series of tweets that the president was trying to sow racial discord.
South Africa totally rejects this narrow perception which only seeks to divide our nation and reminds us of our colonial past. #landexpropriation @realDonaldTrump @PresidencyZA
— South African Government (@GovernmentZA) August 23, 2018
“South Africa totally rejects this narrow perception which only seeks to divide our nation and reminds us of our colonial past,” the government wrote in a tweet
I have asked Secretary of State @SecPompeo to closely study the South Africa land and farm seizures and expropriations and the large scale killing of farmers. “South African Government is now seizing land from white farmers.” @TuckerCarlson @FoxNews
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 23, 2018
The tweet has stirred a debate and criticism towards POTUS and his administration.
Deeply troubling. This is a white supremacist talking point. For years they’ve campaigned to stop “white genocide” in South Africa & made false claims about race-based killings of white South African farmers. Our full statement: https://t.co/8FzJSDGQWm https://t.co/QiwOKrg4u6
— ADL (@ADL) August 23, 2018
Pakistan’s Foreign Office Spokesman Mohammad Faisal denied in a tweet that the issue of terrorism had been discussed at all. “Pakistan takes exception to the factually incorrect statement issued by US State Dept on today’s phone call between PM Khan & Sec Pompeo,” he wrote. “There was no mention at all in the conversation about terrorists operating in Pakistan.” But Nauert later stuck by her original statement.
Pakistan rejects ‘factually incorrect’ US statement on PM Imran-Pompeo phone call
https://twitter.com/ForeignOfficePk/status/1032673343097524225
He also asked the US to “immediately correct” the statement. Earlier today, the US State Department in a released a statement which stated: “Secretary Michael R. Pompeo spoke today with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and wished him success. Secretary Pompeo expressed his willingness to work with the new government towards a productive bilateral relationship. However, State Department stated that it stands by their original readout of phone call between Pompeo and Imran Khan, and called Pakistan an “important partner”.
State Dept. says it stands by original readout of phone call between Sec. Pompeo and #Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan. pic.twitter.com/gTVKYQ732C
— Seth Oldmixon (@setholdmixon) August 23, 2018