Powell calls for 'regime restoration' in Zimbabwe

Powell calls for 'regime restoration' in Zimbabwe

POWELL: Called fopr "regime restoration"

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By Staff Reporter

US SECRETARY of State Collin Powell has called for "regime restoraton" in Zimbabwe, charging that President Robert Mugabe, in power since 1980, was now pulling the whole Southern African region down.

Speaking last week at the swearing-in ceremony in Washington of Christopher Dell, the new US ambassador to Zimbabwe, Powell said Zimbabwe had become a drain on the region and a calamity-in-the-making for the international community.

Powell said: "For southern Africa as a whole, the situation in Zimbabwe is a threat to the common future. At this stage, Zimbabwe's problems transcend any one man. And clearly, solutions to those problems must come mainly from within, from among the people of Zimbabwe.

"The political regime in Zimbabwe has been degraded, but its constitutional basis remains intact. Zimbabwe needs regime restoration. It needs to restore the rule of law, an unfettered Press, and the country's former pluralistic political life."

Powell said the US hopes President Mugabe will adjust his course and restore his legacy as a great African leader, before it's too late.

"The President and his party can turn things around, and an opportunity to do so is now at hand: Parliamentary elections will be held in March, just seven months away."

But he said in order to seize this opportunity, President Mugabe's government must open dialogue with legitimate opposition groups and allow non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to function freely.

His remarks come as Parliament prepares to debate a new Bill on NGOs. Many in the NGO sector fear the Bill will do to the NGOs what the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA) has done to most of the private press - muzzle and stifle them.

Powell said: "The authorities must cease political intimidation through politically motivated arrests and human rights abuses. And they must reverse recently promulgated changes in the electoral law to ensure that the March election is truly free and fair."

The United States, he said, stands ready to help the Zimbabwean people and their government if the government starts making the right choices.

"We are sending Christopher Dell to Harare not to accuse or complain, not to point fingers or make demands. We're sending him to work with Zimbabweans to build a society that respects the rule of law and human rights, that cares first and foremost about the well-being of its citizens, and that contributes to regional peace and stability," he said.
The Standard
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