Zambia says US health deal must be uncoupled from minerals access
Zambia's government said on Monday that it opposed a U.S. attempt to tie health funding to access to critical minerals. Zambia's Foreign Minister Mulambo Haimbe said "The Zambian Government has been consistent that the agreements must be considered separately on their respective merits."
Haimbe said the United States had offered support of up to $2 billion over the next five years under a proposed health agreement, but that some of the terms regarding data sharing would violate Zambians' right to privacy. He also said Zambia had objections to the content of a proposed critical minerals agreement. Regarding the critical minerals agreement, he said Zambia was reluctant to accept the terms due to an insistence on preferential treatment for U.S. companies. Health advocates had warned that the proposed health deal linked the money to mining access and brought data-sharing risks.
The statement from Haimbe was issued in response to criticism from outgoing U.S. ambassador Michael Gonzales, who accused Zambia of failing to engage on the health funding offer, something which Haimbe denied. The U.S. State Department has said that it does not disclose details of bilateral negotiations.
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Zambia and the U.S. are in disagreement over proposed health and critical mineral agreements. The Zambian government has concerns about the terms, leading to stalled negotiations - but why are they hesitating?
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