Monday, June 23, 2008
World leaders challenge Mugabe's legitimacy
World leaders challenged Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe's legitimacy Monday and threatened UN action after the opposition withdrew from this week's presidential run-off, citing pre-poll violence.
Britain and the United States were particularly unequivocal as they obviously still could hope to benefit thereby.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also saw Tsvangirai's decision as a "deeply distressing development".
African Union Commission Chairman Jean Ping said the situation following Tsvangirai's withdrawal was of "grave concern," while the 14-nation Southern African Development Community called for Friday's vote to be postponed. Aljazeera are none too keen on it all, either.
Times of India says that the Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights said most of the dead were victims of militants of Mugabe's party, but at least five were ruling party supporters. Witnesses said gangs of militants wearing bandannas and scarves of Mugabe's party and carrying sticks and clubs continued to roam Chitungwiza and other Harare townships on Saturday after manning makeshift roadblocks overnight. Residents were advised to stay indoors and avoid travelling by road at night, witnesses said.
South Africa snubbed an American effort to present a unified front by condemning the Zimbabwe government for fomenting pre-election violence, sending a low-level representative to a discussion on the issue Thursday led by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her counterpart from Burkina Faso. Diplomats in the meeting said the representatives of various African nations, mostly one assumes on the US gravy train, including Tanzania, Morocco and Kenya all voiced support for bringing increased pressure on Zimbabwe, though it is hard to see how it can be done.
IMO: Anyone, like myself, not born in the United Kingdom can probably also see there can be little in favour of supporting Mugabe by now. A "middle way" of allowing China or the USA to take whatever they can from Zimbabwe, is not the answer though.
World leaders challenged Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe's legitimacy Monday and threatened UN action after the opposition withdrew from this week's presidential run-off, citing pre-poll violence.
Britain and the United States were particularly unequivocal as they obviously still could hope to benefit thereby.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also saw Tsvangirai's decision as a "deeply distressing development".
African Union Commission Chairman Jean Ping said the situation following Tsvangirai's withdrawal was of "grave concern," while the 14-nation Southern African Development Community called for Friday's vote to be postponed. Aljazeera are none too keen on it all, either.
Times of India says that the Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights said most of the dead were victims of militants of Mugabe's party, but at least five were ruling party supporters. Witnesses said gangs of militants wearing bandannas and scarves of Mugabe's party and carrying sticks and clubs continued to roam Chitungwiza and other Harare townships on Saturday after manning makeshift roadblocks overnight. Residents were advised to stay indoors and avoid travelling by road at night, witnesses said.
South Africa snubbed an American effort to present a unified front by condemning the Zimbabwe government for fomenting pre-election violence, sending a low-level representative to a discussion on the issue Thursday led by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her counterpart from Burkina Faso. Diplomats in the meeting said the representatives of various African nations, mostly one assumes on the US gravy train, including Tanzania, Morocco and Kenya all voiced support for bringing increased pressure on Zimbabwe, though it is hard to see how it can be done.
IMO: Anyone, like myself, not born in the United Kingdom can probably also see there can be little in favour of supporting Mugabe by now. A "middle way" of allowing China or the USA to take whatever they can from Zimbabwe, is not the answer though.
# posted by uv : 4:45 AM
Subscribe to Posts [Atom]
