Mugabe open to unity govt: Mbeki
Bathandwa Mbola
3 July 2008
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe is open the African Union's (AU's) call for a government of national unity and has not objected to calls to hold talks with the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).
This is according to South African President Thabo Mbeki, who was interviewed by the SA Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) on Wednesday following the close of the AU summit in Sharm-El-Sheik, Egypt.
Mbeki said that Mugabe was supportive of dialogue between the Zimbabwean political parties to find a solution to the challenges the country was facing.
"There were no objections," Mbeki said. "He said they were committed to that and indeed, even as we were sitting at the meeting, the Zimbabweans were interacting among themselves."
The African leaders at the summit called for a government of national unity in Zimbabwe after Robert Mugabe was sworn in as president on Sunday, having won an uncontested run-off election.
A summit of the pan-African body, which had been divided over what to do about Zimbabwe, adopted the AU summit's resolution calling for Mugabe to enter negotiations with opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who withdrew from the election citing violence against his supporters.
Outcome 'can't be dictated'
Moments after the AU summit adopted the resolution, the European Union (EU) reportedly said that it would not recognise the Zimbabwe government if it was not led by Tsvangirai.
Mbeki responded by saying that the Southern African Development Community (SADC) mandate, as confirmed by the AU, required him to facilitate discussions between Zimbabwe's political parties, the outcome of which could not be dictated.
"The result that comes out of that process of dialogue must be a result that is agreed to by Zimbabweans," he said.
Regarding international criticism of the AU and himself for their acceptance of Mugabe at the AU summit, when he was perceived by some to be an illegitimate president, Mbeki said the AU's focus was on how Zimbabwe could move forward to emerge from its crisis.
"That is why they came to the conclusion that the only way out of this was to encourage the Zimbabweans to engage with each other and indeed to produce an inclusive government," Mbeki said.
"Everybody is convinced that it is only via a government that includes all Zimbabwean political parties, within a framework that they themselves have agreed to, that this is the only way that you can take Zimbabwe forward."
The AU noted with concern the violence in Zimbabwe, as well as reports by observer missions on the negative circumstances surrounding the run-off election.
Source: BuaNews
