A German firm says it has
stopped supplying banknote paper to Zimbabwe because of the political crisis
there.
Heiko
Witzke is a spokesman for Giesecke and Devrient. From Munich, he spoke
to VOA English to Africa Service reporter Joe De Capua about why the sales were
stopped.
"Giesecke
and Devrient has decided to cease delivering banknote paper to the reserve bank
of Zimbabwe with immediate effect. And we've taken this step in response to an
official request from the German government and call for international
sanctions by the European Union and the United Nations," he says.
Witzke
declined comment on the size of the firm's contract with Zimbabwe or whether
there had been discussions with the German government about Zimbabwe.
"We
cannot publicly comment on any questions about individual client
relationshipsˇK. You have to understand that supplying banknotes is a sovereign
task and there are certain rules, which are set by the World Bank. And one of
these rules is that banknote providers and central banks are required to keep
their activities highly confidential. And as such, we cannot publicly comment
on any questions about individual client relationships," he says. (English to Africa 7/2)
E-mail This Article
Print Version
