Zambian President Michael Sata has warned foreign diplomats against meddling in Zambia's internal affairs.
The warning came after opposition leaders reportedly met with European Union officials in Lusaka over the government's suspension of three judges.
Information Minister Fackson Shamenda said President Sata was simply reminding the diplomats to follow protocol, including informing Zambia's foreign minister before meeting with Zambian opposition or NGOs.
"He [President Sata] was just reminding the diplomats and the Zambians who were going to interact with the diplomats that there are certain procedures which are used in international affairs on how you relate to diplomats. So whenever diplomats are meeting others, particularly political leaders or NGOs for that matter, it is important that the foreign minister is aware," he said.
Shamenda rejected the suggestion that the Sata government was being restrictive of the movement of its citizens.
He said the president's comments were meant to protect the diplomats involved.
"The president is not stopping anybody from meeting anyone.. I'd like to make it very clear. If an ambassador comes here accredited, he has to be protected. Supposed this ambassador is going to meet one of the opposition parties, and some members of the other opposition start to harass him, it is the Zambian government which is going to be in problem, he said.
A number of opposition leaders, including the former ruling MMD party met in Zambia Tuesday with a European Union delegation about the Zambian government's decision to suspend three judges.
Shamenda said the government wants to set up a tribunal to investigate allegations misconduct by the judges.
He denied that the suspension of the judges could be seeing as an assault on democracy and the independence of the judiciary.
"Nobody is harassing anybody. If anything, it's good for our society because these are members of the bench. If people lose in the judiciary, then we have got a problem. So that's what we are trying to do. We are trying to clean up hen we are trying to clean up, there is a problem. We keep quiet, then they would say no you are keeping those are corrupt," Shamenda said.
He rejected any suggestion that people might interpret President Sata's warning to mean that the president, who was once a long-time opposition leader, was becoming dictatorial.
He said Zambia under President Sata's leadership has become an open society with an unprecedented free media.
"What dictatorship are you talking about? There is a freedom of the press. It has never been freed under the leadership of a president than Michael Sata," Shamenda said.
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