| The best Zimbabwe news site on the world wide web |  |
Mbeki confirms Annan intervention in Zimbabwe
By Staff
Reporters
IT
IS too early to discuss a deal with Zimbabwe involving international
aid and the possible resignation of President Robert Mugabe, despite
speculation a U.N. initiative was pending, top U.N. officials said on
Wednesday.
New Zimbabwe.com was first to reveal that United Nations secretary general Kofi Annan had engineered a plan for Mugabe to step down, and be replaced by a transitional government composed of opposition leaders and officials from Mugabe's Zanu PF leading to new elections.
The negotiated settlement is being planned as Annan's "last hoorah" before he retires in December.
As part of the plan, President Mugabe would step down in 2008 and appoint a successor. The leader of that transitional government will then invite opposition politicians and civic leaders into the coalition government to reflect on the country's ethnic and gender balance, sources said.
That will lead to harmonised Presidential and Parliamentary elections in 2010.
"Whatever the United Nations can do ... I think it is premature to talk about any package, and certainly even more premature to talk about that package including the possible departure of President Mugabe," said Ibrahim Gambari, the U.N. undersecretary-general for political affairs.
Gambari told reporters he had "no such word" that Mugabe might be willing to resign as part of a U.N. agreement on international assistance for the East African nation.
Gambari was responding to remarks by South African President Thabo Mbeki, who told the Financial Times that his government was awaiting a visit to Zimbabwe by Annan to try to negotiate an aid deal with Mugabe.
"We are all awaiting the outcome of his intervention," Mbeki told the newspaper during a visit to London. "What Mr. Annan is interested in is that the circumstances must be created for Zimbabwe to face their real problems."
"You have got to do something to turn around the economy. It is necessary to turn around the climate for that," Mbeki was quoted as saying.
At a joint press conference with Tony Blair later Wednesday, Mbeki said: "I welcome the fact that the United Nations secretary general has indicated that he wishes to be involved in this. He will provide, I know, a wholly independent assessment of the situation there.
"For the people in Zimbabwe, of course, I want to see progress made, but I think if you look back at these last few years the reasons why you've got those social and economic problems don't rest here, but back there."
Mbeki said it would be counter-productive to offer outside advice on how to resolve the Zimbabwe crisis as Annan pursued his initiative.
He said: "I'm quite certain that it would not help in any way if any one of us started prescribing what we believe ought to be the outcome of the process.
"I think it is best left to the U.N. and the Zimbabwe government and hopefully that will produce an outcome so that we remove this particular matter from the international agenda."
Speculation that part of Annan's mission would be to negotiate an exit plan for Mugabe was torn to pieces by Bright Matonga, the deputy minister of information, who said Mugabe's exit plan lies in Zimbabwe's electoral process.
Matonga said: "He is welcome but he has to be his own man. But we have confidence in him."
Mugabe's spokesman, George Charamba was even more blunt, telling the state-run Herald newspaper that an invitation extended to Annan earlier this year at the height of the government's slum demolitions had expired.
He said: “I am unaware of any UN intervention on Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe is not a UN issue. What I am aware of is a stale invitation, which was extended to the UN Secretary-General by President Robert Mugabe at the time of the clean-up operation.
"That clean-up operation long gave way to Operation Garikai/Hlalani Kuhle for the construction of houses for the displaced and homeless, thereby removing the original purpose of the invitation and that is now known to the UN. The situation has changed."
U.N. chief spokesman Stephane Dujarric confirmed Annan has been exploring, "through emissaries and others, whether there is a possibility of movement on the political and economic front in Zimbabwe ahead of a possible visit."
"But it would be premature to characterize it at this stage as an initiative or a package," Dujarric said. The goal of Annan's efforts was to move towards improving the situation in Zimbabwe, he added.
Mugabe invited Annan to visit following a damning 2005 U.N. report condemning the government's campaign to clean up shantytowns by bulldozing them. Annan has repeatedly said he was willing to visit Zimbabwe but has set no date.
Mugabe, 82, has held power since the former Rhodesia gained independence from Britain in 1980. His government has been accused of human rights abuses, political repression and corruption.
"Whenever there is an opportunity to discuss, we have seized on that," Gambari said, adding that talks had taken place with officials from South Africa and other neighboring countries as well as Zimbabwe.
It was "a reality
that Zimbabwe faces enormous economic and social challenges," Gambari
said - Reuters/Staff Reporter
JOIN
THE DEBATE ON THIS ARTICLE ON THE NEWZIMBABWE.COM FORUMS
newsdesk@newzimbabwe.com
All material copyright newzimbabwe.com
Material may be published or reproduced in any form with appropriate credit to this website