Botswana minister denies apologising to Kenya over ICC trial

Botswana’s Foreign Affairs minister Phandu Skelemani. He has retracted his warning to Kenya’s president-elect Uhuru Kenyatta not to set foot in Botswana if he refuses to cooperate with the International Criminal Court.

Botswana's Foreign minister Phandu Skelemani has denied reports that he had apologised to Kenya for comments he made about that country's president-elect Uhuru Kenyatta and his International Criminal Court (ICC) case.

Botswana online publication Mmegionline quoted the minister as saying: "I have nothing to apologise for."

Mr Skelemani was last week reported as warning Mr Kenyatta not to set foot in Botswana should he refuse to cooperate with ICC.

However, in what seemed to be a U-turn, Mr Skelemani was reported as saying that Mr Kenyatta was free to visit his country as he was ‘innocent until proven guilty’.

“This is to retract my statement made earlier about the President elect of Kenya. The President elect of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta is more than welcome to visit Botswana'', the Gaborone minister was quoted as saying. Revealed secrets