Posted on 08/24/2002 2:49:01 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
The earth summit, which begins in Johannesburg on Monday, is essentially about the need to forestall our planet's destruction by human avarice and neglect. Next door there is a country which is being destroyed by human avarice and neglect. That country is Zimbabwe and the perpetrators are Robert Mugabe and his henchmen.
In the middle of this summit exploring sustainable development will be Mugabe, who is simultaneously destroying the environment, taking productive land out of production and condemning millions of black Zimbabweans to poverty and famine. As host, President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa is desperate for a successful gathering. Mugabe could devalue the whole thing.
It is worth recalling what is happening in Zimbabwe. Six million Zimbabweans are threatened with starvation; 3,000 farmers are being evicted from their farms; 1.5 million black farm workers and their dependants are being thrown off farms; farmland is lying unproductive while famine and starvation grow unchecked; the rule of law is being ignored; human rights are being violated. I saw all this when I went to Zimbabwe last month. You cannot see it and do nothing.
Yet the fact that Mugabe is getting away with murder has not bestirred our government. Its inaction is a damning indictment of its foreign policy. What is the difference between ethnic cleansing, or state murder and torture, in Kosovo and in Zimbabwe? Why was the government so keen to act in Kosovo and yet is so inactive on Zimbabwe? Mugabe is every bit as evil as Milosevic. So why is our government afraid to stand up to this despot? Zimbabwe is not some distant country of which we know little. We know it very well and we owe it our support.
Mugabe can taunt us with accusations of postimperialism. Nobody except his most ardent supporters in Zimbabwe believes him. When I visited, many people - black and white - told me that while they understood that Britain couldn't act alone they looked to us for leadership. We must stop being afraid of our postcolonial shadow. The world has moved on. We have a moral responsibility to be involved.
Jack Straw told the Today programme that he is doing all he can. He must know that the EU targeted sanctions are too little too late, and that suspension from the councils of the Commonwealth is cosmetic. He complains that there is nothing more that can be done, and that I have offered no constructive suggestions. Let me try again.
Effective international action must primarily involve the African states neighbouring Zimbabwe, particularly South Africa. They are currently unwilling to act. We must seek to persuade them that it is in their interests to do so. There is much constructive discussion of international partnership with Africa. Such partnership must include action to resolve the crisis in Zimbabwe.
Tony Blair had a chance at the G8 summit in Canada in June to tie international investment in Africa to good governance and the restoration of democracy in Zimbabwe. He ducked it. Zimbabwe was not even mentioned in the communiqué. He should now make it clear that our commitment to deliver finance will depend on Africa delivering on Mugabe.
Blair has another opportunity at the earth summit. On September 2 he will share the platform with Mugabe. Blair must condemn him in the clearest terms and refuse to appear on the platform with him. Mugabe is an illegitimate leader and the prime minister should treat him as such.
Blair should then call on member countries of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to acknowledge the grave damage that is being done to the region by Mugabe. He should seek their commitment to securing fresh and genuinely fair elections in Zimbabwe and to restoring human rights. To talk about sustainable development in Africa while ignoring Zimbabwe would be self-deluding and he should have no part in it.
Blair should make clear that, while he is happy to participate in the wider agenda of the summit, in the absence of firm commitments by SADC countries on Zimbabwe he will not participate in the parts of the agenda relating to Africa. Nor will he agree any parts of the final communiqué that relate to African development.
This would bring pressure to bear on Mugabe. Of course it is upfront and uncomfortable and we will be accused of seeking to divert the summit. We all want to see the summit succeed, but it must be on the basis of shared values and not cynical political manoeuvres. If Mugabe is allowed to strut this world stage unhindered, the summit will be corrupted. Britain must have the courage to take the lead.
Michael Ancram is shadow foreign secretary
ancramm@parliament.uk
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First it was Rhodesia then SA now America paying the price of silence.
-A Capsule History of Southern Africa--
ZWNEWS.com - linking the world to Zimbabwe
... Books & Videos. Degrees in Violence: Robert Mugabe and the Struggle for Power
In Zimbabwe This book tells the story of Zimbabwe from the hopeful era of ...
MPR Books - Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight: An African ...
Title: "Cry, the Beloved Country" - Topics: World/South Africa
Zim/SA on collision course over farmers' arrest***Reports from South Africa say the South African Foreign Affairs department has approached the Zimbabwe Foreign ministry and made representations over six farms owned by South Africans in the country. South African Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Ronnie Mamoepa, said from South Africa this week they were doing everything possible to protect the interests of their citizens in Zimbabwe through their High Commission in Harare. "The High Commission is assisting the South African citizens in terms of consular services provided to all South Africans abroad," Mamoepa said. "The High Commission has also approached the Zimbabwean Foreign ministry regarding the listing for resettlement of six farms owned by South Africans."
Efforts to contact the South African High Commissioner in Harare proved fruitless by the time of going to press. Opposition political parties in South Africa on Tuesday moved several motions in the National Assembly urging Mbeki to act on Zimbabwe. The DA spokesman onrural safety, Andries Bo-tha, urged the government to take a strong stand onthe unfolding Zimbabwe-an crisis. "The DA regards it as extremely important that the SA government ensures the safety of its citizens in the midst of the lawlessness in Zimbabwe," said Botha.
"South Africa should make it abundantly clear that it will not hesitate to use all diplomatic means at its disposal to protect its citizens and President Thabo Mbeki must break his chronic silence on the issue." The South African Foreign Affairs department says it is still looking into the matter and might issue a statement later. Adriaan van Jaarsveld of the New National Party said the takeover of the farms violated an agreement between Zimbabwe and South Africa which guaranteed protection of South African-owned property in Zimbabwe.***
Hmmmm....well, let's tiptoe around this one. We all know why nobody's intervening but the media, for one, is not going to say it. Mugabe is a Marxist and a black African one. Millions of innocent black Zimbabeans can starve, but touch a Marxist black African? Long cherished left-wing beliefs come apart with the problem of Mugabe. He's supposed to be the hero, the savior, and what went wrong? /sarcasm
Bump!
Another one comes to mind. The embargo of South Africa was A-OK and cause celebre but the embargo on Cuba is wrong, wrong, wrong, a Big NO NO!!
Bump!
hmmm.
Well, this is The Guardian. But this is really about communism, not racism. The racism is just too handy for commies, like Mugabe, not to use to their advantage.
BUMP!!!
People need to hear about this stuff so they can start thinking about it, and mulling over the ramifications. All we can do is keep calling it to their attention, and hope some of it sinks in.
Just off the top of my head? Because they were cheerleaders for the "depose the Evil White Minority Governments" in southern Africa. Recall all the rallies for "disinvestment in Apartheid" that went on in the late 1970's and early '80's? The chorus of student protests again the old South Africa? The many talking heads from the press and entertainment arms of the Media Hive who viewed South Africa as uniquely evil- far worse than Cuba or the old USSR?
Their silence is deafening, but have no fear, once they have pitiful pictures of starving children to show us on TV at our dinnertime...
...they'll be back--
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