![UN Secretary General Kofi Annan]()
Kofi Annan said one or two countries can affect a
whole
region |
African
leaders should speak out against their neighbours if "wrong policies" are
followed, United Nations chief Kofi Annan has warned.
Mr Annan told the Financial Times they must not
keep quiet if they want to be credible in the eyes of the world.
He did not name Zimbabwe in the interview, but his envoy is visiting
the country to assess the demolition of shanty towns making 200,000
homeless.
The West wants African leaders to censure President Robert Mugabe.
The African Union has said the demolitions were an internal matter for
Zimbabwe.
"What is important - and what is lacking on the
continent - is a willingness to comment on wrong policies in a
neighbouring country," Mr Annan said.
Eight African leaders are heading to a meeting of the world's most
powerful countries, the G8, at Gleneagles in Scotland, where announcements
on aid and debt relief are expected on Friday.
'Breath of fresh air'
Mr Annan said that internal problems in one country
can easily spread to become a regional one.
"Nobody invests in a bad neighbourhood and if you
have just one or two countries behaving that way, that hurts
everybody."
![Demolition scene in Zimbabwe]()
Zimbabwe's government has destroyed 'illegal' housing
in recent weeks |
On
Wednesday, Zimbabwean Archbishop Pius Ncube called on G8 leaders to link
African action on President Mugabe to more debt relief and aid.
"The international community has done little to prevent Mugabe's
excesses and it is time to act," the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Bulawayo
said.
Zimbabwe Health Minister David Parirenyatwa told state-run television
that the demolitions were a "breath of fresh air", allowing his officials
to improve public health.
He said overcrowding had led to a huge increase in tuberculosis cases,
while sewerage facilities had been unable to cope with the influx of
people to cities such as Harare.
The Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights (ZADHR),
meanwhile, warned that the evictions could worsen the Aids crisis as
people infected by HIV are forced to leave their homes and so may abandon
their treatment.
Meanwhile, a senior UK judge has urged the government to halt all
removals of failed asylum seekers to Zimbabwe pending a further High Court
hearing.
