Having sent a diplomatic note to the US State Department, the government yesterday challenged American Ambassador Brendt Hardt to prove that USAID has a right to go ahead with a $300 million democracy project here despite government’s objections on grounds of a lack of consultation.
“The note verbale is to the State Department. You don’t try Caesar in Caesar’s court. This note verbale goes to the State Department. It does not go to the Ambassador…he has to seriously consider what he is going to answer…what response. That is going to be seen as official US policy. Whatever they put in that note verbale in response to ours will be the US policy,” Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr. Roger Luncheon declared yesterday at his post-Cabinet press briefing.
It was the latest salvo from the government in a deepening row with Washington’s top diplomat here after he
