African leaders drowned by Western push for sanctions at G8

African leaders drowned by Western push for sanctions at G8

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By Lebo Nkatazo

BRITAIN and the United States on Tuesday appeared ready to ignore African counsel to push through with punitive sanctions on Zimbabwe.

Seven African leaders invited to the G-8 summit in Japan all agreed sanctions against Zimbabwe “wouldn't be useful”.

South African President Thabo Mbeki, who is involved in delicate talks supported by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and Africa Union (AU) to establish a unity government in Zimbabwe, even suggested sanctions could trigger civil war.

But the US and Britain -- backed by France, Italy and Germany -- were ready to railroad the sanctions measures against President Robert Mugabe’s government through the United Nations in response to accusations of voter fraud in the run-up to the June 27 presidential election runoff which secured Mugabe a controversial sixth term. Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai who led in the first round vote boycotted the run-off, claiming massive intimidation of his supporters.

“There’s growing support for sanctions against the Mugabe regime being stepped up,” British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said.

US President George W. Bush said Monday he was "extremely disappointed" with Zimbabwe's "sham" election. President Sarkozy said he would back sanctions as Mugabe's regime "tarnishes the image of all of Africa."

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said G8 leaders had voted unanimously to seek United Nations sanctions against Zimbabwe.

"The need and the urgency was indicated for sanctions at the UN Security Council," Berlusconi said, "that even Russia decided to go ahead. It seemed to me important to join in, voting unanimously."

Earlier, Russia had expressed strong reservations about sanctions against Zimbabwe.

"Russia is against financial or other sanctions against Zimbabwe because we don't believe in sanctions in this particular case as an effective tool," said Alexander Pankin, a deputy Foreign Ministry department chief, on the margins of the summit.

"Threatening with sanctions is not the best way of settling the issue between the parties. It's important to maintain peace and stability in Zimbabwe, and not to trigger a situation which would be unstoppable or could unfold in a very negative way," Pankin, who is involved with the talks that Russian President Dmitry Medvedev was attending, told reporters.

He said Russia advocates "broad negotiation" involving African leaders.

Senegal's President Abdoulaye Wade said on Tuesday that he had urged the G8 powers not to slap sanctions on Zimbabwe.

"I said that sanctions wouldn't be useful and that they wouldn't change the regime," Wade said.

He said he spoke first at a special session on Africa on Monday that also included Mbeki. "I was supported by all African leaders," he said. "We Africans called for a continuation of mediation that's underway.

"I understand that Westerners have to react to public opinion, which is shocked by images of massacres. They can't react. But for us Africans, sanctions aren't going to resolve anything.”

On Monday, Tanzanian President and African Union chairman Jakaya Kikwete told US President George Bush that African leaders saw the Zimbabwe crisis “differently”.

“You see differently,” Kikwete told Bush, “but for us in Africa we see differently. At the last summit of the African Union, many leaders expressed their dissatisfaction at the way things happened (Zimbabwe elections). But also we agreed on the way forward.

“We are saying no party can govern alone in Zimbabwe, and therefore the parties have to work together to come up to -- to come out, work together, in a government, and then look at the future of their country together. So this is the way we see it.”

Wade said he had asked German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy in separate meetings for the G8 leaders at least to delay sanctions if they insist on imposing them.

Mbeki warned Britain and the US that Zimbabwe could descend into civil war if they pressed for tougher sanctions against the Mugabe regime, according to Britain’s Guardian newspaper.

The Zimbabwean government blames interference from Western countries for delaying a solution to the country's political impasse.

"It is the UK that is pushing for sanctions, but isolating and demonising Zimbabwe is not in the best interests of anyone. They should treat Zimbabwe as a partner rather than an enemy," Zimbabwe's Deputy Information Minister Bright Matonga said.

And a spokesman for Japan, the G8 hosts, reported: "Some African leaders mentioned that we should bear in mind that Mugabe will retire in a few years. Putting pressure on Zimbabwe, including sanctions, might lead to internal conflict. We should be discreet and careful."

It is expected that China will use its veto power at the United Nations to block the imposition of sanctions on Zimbabwe. Russia is also seen likely to balk.

The G8 groups Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States.
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