Sadc to sign historic military agreement ; www.sundaymail.co.zw 10/8/2003
By Farai Dzirutwe
THE 14-member Southern Africa Development Community (Sadc) is set to sign an historic defence pact that will compel all countries in the regional bloc to intervene if any one of its members comes under military attack.
A draft of the Sadc Mutual Defence Pact was endorsed at Friday's fourth session of the inter-ministerial committee of the regional body's Organ on Politics, Defence and Security in the Mozambican capital, Maputo.
Once signed at next month's Sadc summit in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, the defence pact, which is modelled along the same lines as that of the powerful North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, will immediately come into force.
This development is expected to boost collective regional security in arguably the most politically stable area of the continent.
Defence Minister, Dr Sydney Sekeramayi, told journalists soon after arriving from Maputo yesterday that the Sadc member states had unanimously agreed to present the pact at the forthcoming summit, where it is expected to sail through easily.
This was the first time since the formation of Sadc that such a pact had been adopted.
Dr Sekeramayi said it had been observed that no Sadc countries were in military conflict, hence the need to come up with an agreement that guarantees collective security.
"It was unanimously agreed in Maputo that the pact be presented at the Dar es Salaam summit.
"After the pact is signed and ratified, any attack on a Sadc country will attract collective intervention from all the other states," said Dr Sekeramayi.
In the past, Sadc countries were not compelled to intervene militarily if a fellow member came under attack, a situation which saw only Zimbabwe, Namibia and Angola deploying their troops when war broke out in the DRC in 1998.
However, all countries will be required to play an active role under the Mutual Defence Pact.
Dr Sekeramayi said efforts were under way to normalise operations at Harare's Regional Peace Training Centre in Harare, which was affected by the withdrawal of funding by Denmark.
The centre has not been receiving students from the region since the Danish government stopped funding activities in an attempt to pressure Sadc countries to ostracise Zimbabwe.
Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Stan Mudenge, who also attended the Maputo meeting, said his Botswana counterpart indicated that his Government was not in any way involved in plans to unseat the government in Harare.
"The Botswana Foreign Affairs Minister requested to issue a special statement and said his country is not involved in any activities to effect a regime change in Zimbabwe and that the Botswana government will never be involved in such plans," said Dr Mudenge.
He said Botswana also denied harbouring any American bases or military installations as had been reported in some sections of the local media.
Dr Mudenge said Sadc countries had also rejected a US$20 million aid package offered by the US government after the Americans indicated that Zimbabwe was not supposed to be one of the beneficiaries.
"It was unanimously agreed as an organ that we will not accept any assistance that excludes some members because there is no such thing as Sadc without Zimbabwe. Sadc is one and indivisible," said Dr Mudenge.
He said the ministers had also demanded the immediate lifting of sanctions variously imposed on Zimbabwe by the European Union, the United States and the Commonwealth as they were affecting both Zimbabweans and other Sadc citizens.
Mitayo Potosi
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