United States ambassador to Zimbabwe Charles Ray last Thursday met with Zanu PF national chairman Simon Khaya-Moyo at the party headquarters in Harare, in a bid to improve relations between Washington and the former liberation war movement.
A statement from the US embassy said during the meeting Ray stressed his desire to cultivate better relations between the US and Zanu PF.
President Robert Mugabe and Zanu PF have accused Washington of imposing economic sanctions that have negatively impacted on the country in an alleged bid to cause regime change in Harare.
But the US and its Western allies have maintained the restrictive measures were targeted and aimed at forcing President Mugabe and his lieutenants to restore democracy in Zimbabwe.
Ray reiterated his message presented in recent dialogue discussion sessions in Harare and Bulawayo on the future of US-Zimbabwe relations, that the US does not support or oppose a particular political party in Zimbabwe.
He said the US would continue to engage with the people of Zimbabwe and any political party or individual that wins the next election as long as the election was credible and non-violent, reflecting the will of the people.
During the meeting, Ray said while there were some restrictions on what the US could do in Zimbabwe, he was committed to cooperating on the broad array of areas in which the US and Zimbabwe share a common interest, including in the areas of promoting national stability and economic growth.
Khaya-Moyo emphasised the need to turn a new page in relations with the US through more regular and direct interactions to remove suspicions and antagonism and misconceptions.
