Madam, - Mary Fitzgerald's interview with Zambia's ex-president Ken Kaunda confirms one thing at least (The Irish Times, August 25th). Even at 84, Kaunda still fits the cynic's definition of an honest politician as "one who, when bought, will stay bought".
In 1967 Kaunda went to China where he met Mao Zedong and secured the money to build the Tazara rail-line linking Zambia to the Tanzanian port of Dar es Salaam. The line has proven invaluable in assisting China to strip Africa of its meagre resources.
As Ms Fitzgerald's articles pointed out so poignantly, Zambia has one of the world's richest copper reserves, which China ruthlessly exploits. Mr Kaunda's attempt to portray China's interests in Africa as benign instead of predatory hit the buffers when Ms Fitzgerald raised the subject of Darfur. Yet even here he could not bring himself to criticise Beijing, fixing the blame instead on the Sudanese government.
This week we got a shocking reminder of the horrors of Darfur with the news that Sudanese troops opened fire in a refugee camp in Kalma which "shelters" 90,000 people, killing 27 people and injuring 105.
China maintains a stony silence on Darfur - even though it holds great sway with the Sudanese government and could use its clout to allow an international peace-keeping force on the ground.
The tragedy of China's swoop on Africa is that it has bestowed billions on many of the planet's most corrupt and brutal leaders, enabling them to snub the West. Thus it is impossible to attach conditions or accountability to aid.
Mr Kaunda describes China as Zambia's "all-weather friend". He should not be unduly surprised when the weather turns bad and the ordinary African is left to reap a bitter harvest. - Yours, etc,
JOHN O'SHEA,
Goal,
Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin.