Posted on 03/17/2002 2:13:05 AM PST by Clive
author/source:Observer (UK)
published:Sun 17-Mar-2002
posted on this site:Sun 17-Mar-2002
Article Type : News
Andrew Meldrum, Harare
In a last-ditch attempt to stave off Zimbabwe's suspension from the Commonwealth, Presidents Thabo Mbeki of South Africa and Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria fly into Harare tomorrow for talks with President Robert Mugabe, 78.
As Mugabe prepared to rush through his swearing-in today for another six-year term, Mbeki was expected to press him to accept a compromise which could be presented to a Commonwealth meeting in London on Monday. But the opposition and civil leaders said that a government of national unity would be acceptable only if it led to fresh elections, under Commonwealth supervision, after a fixed interim period.
International pressure mounted on Mugabe as European leaders meeting in Barcelona joined the Commonwealth and other groups in denouncing the violence-scarred elections as fundamentally flawed. Several countries, including the United States, say that they will not recognise the new Mugabe government. In a draft communique, the EU leaders said they would consider additional targeted sanctions.
The question of Zimbabwe's suspension from the Commonwealth will be decided in London on Tuesday by Mbeki and Obasanjo together with Australian Prime Minister John Howard. Mbeki wants a government of national unity to include opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai and other key members of his Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).
John Makumbe, chairman of the Crisis in Zimbabwe Committee, which represents 250 non- governmental organisations, said: 'Mugabe knows full well how to use a government of national unity to destroy the opposition. That's what he did to Joshua Nkomo and Zapu in the 1980s.'
Tsvangirai said: 'A government of national unity will only be valid if it is for a transitional period, let's say for six months, in order to establish the conditions for free and fair elections.'
General Abdulsalami Abubakar, the former Nigerian President who headed the Commonwealth observers' mission to Zimbabwe, said the possibility of the Commonwealth overseeing new elections in Zimbabwe was one of a range of options. 'We are looking for ways the Commonwealth can assist Zimbabwe to resolve its crisis. There are many complex issues to be addressed, including the land issue, the economy, and the political situation,' said General Abubakar, whose condemnation of the Zimbabwean election will be the basis of the troika meeting.
Abubakar guided the 42 observers in drafting the report, which describes how the elections were compromised by state-sponsored violence, unfair application of the rule of law, repressive legislation, restrictions on civic groups, the disenfranchisement of substantial numbers of voters and the blatant bias of the state media.
According to Commonwealth observers who met until late Friday night to draft the full report, there was emphatic agreement over the findings. Only one of the 42 Commonwealth observers, the Namibian delegate, was unhappy with the report, and other African members firmly supported it.
An eerie, uneasy vacuum has settled over Harare, as Mugabe has not uttered a public word since he was declared the election victor on Wednesday. But his signing into law of the repressive new media bill signalled his intention to silence the critical independent press.
Civic leaders say his swearing-in is being rushed because his term does not expire until 31 March. The leader of an election monitoring group said: 'His rush shows there is a problem, and that he has a huge credibility problem.'
Hundreds of opposition supporters, polling agents and election observers are still in custody, according to local reports, which say that many are being held without charge.
He is not trying to preserve the principles of the common law.
He is not trying to preserve the rights of the people of Zimbabwe.
It appears that he is not even trying to preserve the economy of South Africa or the SADC.
He is trying to preserve the thoroughly discredited governmento of the tyrant Mugabe and his thugs.
Zimbabwe's form of government is based on the parliamentary system and the common law.
In that context, a "government of national unity" will legitimize Mugabe and co-opt Tsvangirai, thereby de-legitimizing him.
As evident in other post-election postings, there is dissent within Mugabve's own party (ZANU) at this point. As I mentioned in another thread, the elite's own children are having their student visas in Britain and the U.S. cancelled and are being deported. I know this from personal information. It is these targeted sanctions, among others which will get the attention of the elites...much better than actions which will only hurt the "little people."
The white population is less than 1 percent.
I have been fearing a volkerwanderung and I suspect that Mbeki also fears it, which is possibly why South Africa has mobilized armed forces on its border with Zimbabwe.
Zapu was co-opted by ZANU within a few years after the 1980 elections. It was taken into government, then dissolved into the "one party state". This is why MDC and Tsvangirai will NOT be fooled into a government of national unity.
Mbeki has already ( weeks prior to Zimbabwe's latest fraud of an election ) stated that within 3 years, all property, belonging to whites, is to have been conviscated, the Rand is plummeting, global businesses have left / are leaving, well educated whites AND blacks have left / are trying to leave , crime is at a disasterously high level and rising,and Mbeki's rule is even worse than Mandela's was ; which is going some. This entire region is sinking to the lowest levels , and then free falling even lower.
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