This is a follow-up to our post in early December (see US Embassy Zambia: Threats Against Amb. Daniel Foote For Comments on Harsh Sentencing of Gay Couple). The recall of Ambassador Daniel Foote from the U.S. Embassy in Zambia occurred late last month.
The State Department released a brief statement (see below) and the Assistant Secretary for African Affairs Tibor Nagy issued a tweet saying, “Dismayed by the Zambian government’s decision requiring our Ambassador Daniel Foote’s departure from the country.” Martin “Marty” Dale, a career member of the Foreign Service, is currently listed as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Lusaka on its website; no CDA is identified as of this writing.
So they’re all dismayed, huh? If the State Department considered the Zambian Government’s statement on Ambassador Foote as equivalent of a declaration of “persona non grata” why have they not asked the Zambian Ambassador in Washington D.C. to leave in the spirit of reciprocity?
The State Department’s action so loud, we could barely hear what they’re saying. Perhaps the State Department should have a new recruitment flyer:
See the world, join the State Department
And watch your back!
In an unusually combative public statement for a member of the diplomatic corps, U.S. Ambassador Daniel Foote said that the Zambian government “wants foreign diplomats to be compliant, with open pocketbooks and closed mouths.” https://t.co/kygIr6raGn
— New York Times World (@nytimesworld) December 25, 2019
In an extraordinary move, the State Department is pulling the US ambassador to Zambia after the president there objected to his harsh criticism of the government's record on corruption and gay rights. With @kylieatwood: https://t.co/3RdgzVTNNa
— Michael Conte (@MichaelTConte) December 25, 2019
Full statement from a State Dept spokesman when I asked about this:
“We are dismayed by the Zambian government’s statement that Ambassador Foote’s position “is no longer tenable,” which we consider to be the equivalent of a declaration that the Ambassador is Persona Non Grata” pic.twitter.com/SGQmJFdQFZ— Robbie Gramer (@RobbieGramer) December 24, 2019
.@USAmbUN Craft & U.S. Ambassador to Germany Grenell hosted a UN event to discuss efforts to decriminalize homosexuality in at least 69 countries. As @realDonaldTrump said this fall, "As we defend American values we affirm the right of all people to live in dignity." https://t.co/J0Rucx2tQz
— Department of State (@StateDept) December 23, 2019
Ambassador Daniel Foote had said he was “horrified” that Japhet Chataba and Steven Samba were sentenced last month to 15 years in prison. https://t.co/XerYVZnQtc
— The Advocate (@TheAdvocateMag) December 23, 2019
U.S. Ambassador Daniel Foote has been withdrawn from his post in Zambia, after protesting a 15-year prison sentence handed to a gay couple. https://t.co/qBtJR7QXrq
— Out Magazine (@outmagazine) December 24, 2019