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Back off Zimbabwe, Mwanawasa tells West
ZAMBIAN President Levy Mwanawasa yesterday said the West should
"not act as a prefect" over Zimbabwe, adding that the countryâs political and
financial problems should be solved by its own citizens.
In a related
matter, French Foreign Minister Mr Michel Barnier yesterday said South Africa
should be given another chance to try and help to resolve the problems in
Zimbabwe.
Speaking on a visit to South Africa, where he attended the
inauguration of President Thabo Mbeki on Tuesday, President Mwanawasa said he
believed the situation in Zimbabwe was greatly misunderstood, particularly by
the West.
"I refuse to accept that Britain, the European Union and the
United States have any role to play," said Mr Mwanawasa.
"It is not
right for any country, for any president, for any prime minister to act as a
prefect on the affairs of Zimbabwe," he told SABC public radio.
President Mwanawasa said he believed only Zimbabweans could solve their
problems, adding that the Westâs isolation of President Mugabe was hurting
citizens of the country and not their leader.
"When you ostracise
Zimbabwe the person you are punishing is not Robert Mugabe. You are punishing
ordinary people in Zimbabwe," he said.
The US, Britain and the EU have
imposed travel bans on top Government and Zanu-PF officials and illegal economic
sanctions on Zimbabwe, claiming alleged human rights abuses and undemocratic
practices.
The West has been on a spirited campaign to isolate Zimbabwe,
but without success as most developing countries in Africa, Asia and other parts
of the world have stood solidly behind Harare.
Recently, Britain and its
allies unsuccessfully tried to get the United Nations to probe Zimbabwe for
alleged human rights abuses at the UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva,
Switzerland, but the move was thwarted by African, Asian and Latin American
countries which supported Harare.
Mr Barnier said South Africa should be
given another chance to try to resolve the problems in Zimbabwe.
"There
is this mediation which has started and which is difficult," he said of South
African President Mbekiâs initiative to mediate between the ruling Zanu-PF party
and the MDC, the main opposition.
"What I have understood is that we
have to give another chance to this mediation, a mediation for an African
country and by Africans," he told a news conference after meeting with his South
African counterpart Ms Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.
"That is why we will
continue to back this effort at mediation by different regional heads of state,
especially by President Mbeki." â AFP-Herald
Reporter.
The Mulindwas Communication Group
"With
Yoweri Museveni, Uganda is in
anarchy"
Groupe de communication Mulindwas
"avec Yoweri Museveni, l'Ouganda est dans
l'anarchie"
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