UK distances itself from Bingu’s invite

Britain has said it has not invited Malawi President Bingu wa Mutharika to attend the diamond jubilee of Queen Elizabeth 11 of Britain in June this year, insisting it is a Commonwealth event and its government has nothing to do with it.

Mutharika is quoted in the UK’s The Guardian newspaper, on its link guardian.co.uk of February 15 2012, as having accepted the invitation.

And Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Kondwani Nankhumwa confirmed the invitation to The Nation of February 23 2012.

But on Wednesday this week, Britain distanced itself from the invitation saying such an invitation was not official and did not come from the Queen’s government.

“This invitation has nothing to do with Her Majesty’s Government (i.e. the British Government) and this is not an official invitation from the British Government,” said a British High Commission representative.

“This is a Commonwealth event—an invitation for all Commonwealth Heads of State to have lunch with Her Majesty The Queen to celebrate her diamond jubilee, in her capacity as Head of the Commonwealth,” the representative added.

Nankhumwa promised to check where the invitation specifically came from.

“The invitation came long time ago. It is there. I just need to cross-check where it came from. Unfortunately I am going to the airport now and I can help you when I am back on Tuesday,” he said.

Mutharika’s relations with Britain soured when he expelled British High Commissioner Fergus Cochrane-Dyet from Lilongwe last year. Britain in response threw out Malawi’s Charge d’Affaires in the United Kingdom, Flossie Chidyaonga.

Cochrane-Dyet was expelled over a leaked diplomatic telegram from the British High Commission in Lilongwe that said Mutharika was “increasingly becoming dictatorial.”