No SADC rebuke for Mugabe

Headlines, News — By admin on June 13, 2011 1:42 pm

By James Mombe

JOHANNESBURG –Southern Africa leaders late on Sunday called on Zimbabwe to speed up democratic reforms but showed little indication they were prepared to adopt tougher measures against President Robert Mugabe blamed of blocking political change.

Leaders from the 15-nation Southern African Development Community (SADC) called on Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai to quicken implementation of their power-sharing agreement known as the global political agreement (GPA) that gave birth to the Harare unity government.

The political pact calls for the adoption of a new and democratic constitution that should lead to free and fair elections to choose a new government to replace the coalition.

But significantly the bloc appeared to soften its stance towards Mugabe, noting — but stopping short of fully endorsing — the position of its special security Troika, that in April for the first time sharply criticised Zimbabwe’s longtime ruler for a crackdown on coalition government opponents.

The regional leaders, who adopted softer and more polite language than the unusually harsh tone of the Troika communiqué after its summit in Livingstone, Zambia, urged the Zimbabwean parties to take steps to create an environment that will ensure the next polls are peaceful and truly free and fair.

In a statement after yesterday’s meeting in Johannesburg, the regional leaders called on the Zimbabwean parties to: “move faster in the implementation of the GPA and create a conducive environment to the holding of elections that will be free and fair, under conditions of a level political field.”

The summit also shied away from directly confronting Mugabe on the timing of the next elections, shifting discussions on an elections roadmap or charter that the Zimbabwean parties are working on to August.

The bloc’s executive secretary Tomaz Salomao told journalists the roadmap was still at the draft stage and discussions would only take place after the document is complete. “It has to be finalised among (the Zimbabwean parties). We hope that when we meet in August in Luanda this document is concluded,” he said.

The 87-year-old Mugabe and his ZANU-PF party are pushing for elections soon after adoption of a new constitution, a situation that would se the Zimbabwe going to the polls either by the end of the year or early 2012.

But Tsvangirai – the favourite to win the next presidential vote but without any guarantee Mugabe’s allies in the military will allow him to takeover power – has said polls should not be held this year even after adoption of a new constitution.

The former opposition chief says a new constitution and several proposed electoral reforms would need to be given time to take root to ensure any future vote is free and fair. Turning to Western sanctions against Mugabe and his top allies the SADC said it remains “committed to continue dialogue with the Western powers on the removal of sanctions against Zimbabwe”.??

The European Union, United States, Australia, Switzerland and New Zealand, have refused to scrap visa and financial bans against Mugabe and his top allies, insisting the Zimbabwean leader must do more to ensure democratic reforms before the measures can be removed.

Mugabe — who says Western sanctions were meant to weaken him and eventually cause his ouster from power as punishment for seizing land from white farmers — has blocked reforms in the security sector saying these and other key reforms could only take place after sanctions have been first removed.

Meanwhile Mugabe and his party have hailed the outcome of the SADC meeting as a victory especially after the summit only noted but appeared to stop short of endorsing the April Troika position.
‘‘It (summit) came out very well,” Mugabe told the government-owned Herald newspaper.

“There was a very good report by the facilitator (President Jacob Zuma) where he acknowledged the efforts that the GPA is making, in other words what our negotiators and the principals put together are making and that there is progress now, that there is work going on to establish the roadmap, that the highlights of the roadmap have been marked that what remains now are the timelines,” he added.

Simbarashe Mumbengegwi, Zimbabwe’s Foreign Affairs Minister and a top ally of Mugabe, said: ‘‘The summit went on very well, very, very well. Summit only noted the outcome of Livingstone, they did not endorse, summit noted. And as you know in diplomatic parlance, you know what ‘noting’ means? It was noted, it was not endorsed.” – ZimOnline

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