With Mugabe entrenched, Zimbabwe's opposition leader is hemmed in with few options By DONNA BRYSON (Associated Press Writer) From Associated Press June 30, 2008 7:05 PM EDT JOHANNESBURG, South Africa - The two paths of Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai are telling: Mugabe, newly sworn in as Zimbabwe's president again, is at a summit of African leaders while the opposition leader holes up in a Western embassy in Zimbabwe's capital. Tsvangirai is hemmed in by Mugabe's policemen, soldiers and ruling party thugs as well as the president's cozy relationship with fellow African leaders. The round-faced, ever-affable Tsvangirai insists he is hopeful - "As far as we are concerned we are nearer a resolution than we have ever been," he says. But his options appear to be few. He wants African leaders to guide negotiations on forming a coalition government to oversee a transition to democracy in Zimbabwe. While some leaders have publicly endorsed that idea, it is unclear how hard they will or can push Mugabe, who has ruled since independence in 1980. Tsvangirai wants the African Union to send in peacekeepers. That, too, is unlikely, given the difficulties the body already is having with its stalled mission in Sudan's Darfur region, undertaken jointly with the United Nations. AU peacekeepers also are struggling in Somalia. Tsvangirai, a 56-year-old former trade union leader, is on sensitive ground when he proposes outside help, as shown by his repeated clarifications that peacekeepers would not be tantamount to a military intervention. He risks being labeled a traitor at home, and leaders elsewhere in Africa might bristle at his perceived lack of sufficient nationalist sentiment. While under pressure from Western governments and human rights activists to take a hard line, African leaders have long had close ties with the 84-year-old Mugabe, renowned as a campaigner against white rule and colonialism. Even those who can claim to be champions of democracy are reluctant to be seen as backing the West against a fellow African. In an example of the lack of consensus, election observers sent by the main regional bloc, the Southern African Development Community, could not agree on how strongly to word their assessment of Friday's presidential runoff. Tsvangirai, who led a four-candidate field in the opening ballot three months ago, withdrew from the runoff June 22 because of vicious killings of supporters, leaving Mugabe to claim victory. The bloc's statement said only that the latest vote was "not a true reflection of the will of the Zimbabwean people." Lawmakers who observed the vote under the auspices of the Pan-African Parliament, however, had no trouble declaring it not free, fair or legitimate. Tsvangirai has called on the African Union to take over mediation that the southern bloc placed in the hands of South African President Thabo Mbeki more than a year ago. Tsvangirai says Mbeki's refusal to publicly criticize Mugabe betrays bias in Mugabe's favor. While some African leaders have called for a change from Mbeki's "quiet diplomacy," it is unlikely that the African Union will show Mbeki disrespect by stripping him or the southern bloc of the mediation role. Mugabe has said he is open to talks, and referred glowingly to Mbeki's efforts. Mugabe could be hoping any progress will be stalled in talks about how to hold talks. Looking West doesn't bode much better for Tsvangirai. President Bush wants the U.N. Security Council to impose an arms embargo on Zimbabwe and ban travel by Zimbabwe government officials, but building consensus could be difficult. Diplomats do not expect the Security Council to go much further than last week's nonbinding resolution condemning violence against Zimbabwe's political opposition. South Africa, China and Russia oppose taking any further action. The U.S., European nations and Australia have imposed limited sanctions on Zimbabwe, and they may strengthen them, though there are concerns tougher measures could hurt ordinary Zimbabweans already struggling with economic collapse. There is little sign of broader economic boycotts or the grass-roots campaigns that pressured apartheid-era South Africa. Still, in a weekend interview, Tsvangirai argued it is Mugabe who is against the wall, saying the longtime leader's only choice amid international condemnation and Zimbabwe's dire economic woes is to negotiate a power-sharing deal. "Where does he go from here?" Tsvangirai said. "He cannot solve the economic problem. He cannot solve 8 million percent inflation by continuing to be in this intransigent mood." --- Donna Bryson is chief of southern Africa for The Associated Press. Copyright 2004 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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AFRICAN DEMOCRATIC LEADERS RISE UP AGAINST MUGABE By Chika Onyeani, African Sun Times, July 7-13, 2008, www.africansuntimes.com
"What the Zimbabwean situation has shown is that there are quite a few African leaders with democratic credentials who are no longer willing to acquiesce in the politics of the former OAU (Organization os African Unity). That organization, popularly known as the “club of dictators,” died and was buried in 2002. We are beginning to see the emergence of credible African leaders. "
Several African leaders who were elected on the platform of democracy are increasingly voicing their opposition to the dictatorship of Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe. Leading this charge is the country regarded as the most democratic, Botswana, which last Sunday called on the African Union to bar Mugabe from attending the Heads of State meeting in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh. It was also Botswana that first called attention to the appalling situation in Zimbabwe when it called in the Zimbabwe High Commissioner in Botswana and lectured him about the arrest of opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai.
On the issue of admitting Mugabe to the meeting, Botswana again took the lead in objecting to his admission. Vice President Mompati Merathe said,
“In our considered view, it therefore follows that the representatives of the current government in Zimbabwe should be excluded from attending SADC (Southern African Development Community) and African Union meetings.” “Their participation in the meetings of the two organizations would give unqualified legitimacy to a process which cannot be considered legitimate.” Continuing, Mr. Merathe said, “It is also Botswana’s strong view that the mediation process must treat both parties as equals.”
This is the first time an African country has come out boldly to call for severe punishment against Mugabe.
Joining in the criticism against Mugabe was Nobel Peace Prize winner, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who stated ....read full article=
