Zimbabwe's Mugabe Tells the World: Leave Us Alone - Britain "the enemy" *** CHINHOYI, Zimbabwe (Reuters) - Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe called on Western powers to leave his embattled government alone Friday, warning he would respond to pressure by ratcheting up hostility toward whites in the country. Opening the annual conference of his ruling ZANU-PF party, the 78-year-old Mugabe vowed to fight on -- particularly against former colonial power Britain, which he said had become "the enemy" under Prime Minister Tony. "Leave us alone to run our affairs," Mugabe said. "Leave us alone to run our lives. We don't interfere in the affairs of Britain and no one should interfere in our own affairs." If Britain's allies want to make Zimbabwe their own issue, Mugabe said, "we will recognize them as enemies like we recognize Britain, under Mr. Blair, as an enemy of Zimbabwe. "The more they work against us, the more they express their hostility against us, the more negative we shall become to their kith and kin here." ***
Who'd A Thunk It? - Zimbabwe Economic Crisis Hits Mugabe's Land Reforms *** Zimbabwean commercial banks, left with millions of dollars in unpaid debts from dispossessed white farmers, say it will be difficult to fund new farmers in an environment in which property rights are not guaranteed. The government says it is still looking at the issue of title deeds, but its critics say without settling the subject of ownership, commercial agriculture is doomed in Zimbabwe. "This is a critical point, because without title, there is no legal basis for anyone's claim to own land," said Justice for Agriculture (JAG), a pressure group fighting for white farmers to retain their land.
One of Zimbabwe's largest fertilizer manufacturers, Zimbabwe Phosphates Industries (Zimphos), said last month that the fertilizer shortage in the country was likely to get worse because of increased foreign exchange problems, rising production costs and unrealistic retail prices imposed by the government. Companies had been forced to cut production by as much as 50 percent in the past year to stay in business.
"We said this program is going to be a disaster, and everybody can now see it's a disaster," said Renson Gasela, secretary for agriculture for the main opposition MDC. "What we are seeing is a confirmation that we really need a land reform program that can attract international support to see success," he told Reuters.***