African Union calls for unity govt in Zimbabwe, which the West rejects

The African Union should have asked Britain and the West to respect its agreements in order to bring an end to the crisis in Zimbabwe. I cannot understand why it is so difficult for African people to take back what is rightfully theirs in South Africa and Zimbabwe. Israel  confiscates land every day which does not belong to Jews in Palestine, yet Africans are afraid of confiscating what is rightfully theirs. We are the only group of people on this planet that respect unfair rules which we apply rigourously to ourselves.

What is totally unacceptable is that the West are overruling the African union, who has asked for a government of national unity in Zimbabwe, by telling them that they will not accept Mugabe. Since Morgan Tsvangirai is financed by the West whose goal is to destabilize Zimbabwe and remove Mugabe from power, he should not be part of the new government of national unity. Only people who are willing to promote the interests of the Zimbabwean and African people should be chosen.

 It is time for the black man to stop taking orders from the West. It is time for the black man to stop being afraid of the west and start acting like a man. Latin America is threatening sanctions against the European Union because they consider its new immigration policy unfair to their emigrants. Africans must also begin to use their collective strength to impose sanctions on the West to obtain their goals. The Zimbabwe crisis and the recent food riots should make Africans understand the importance of taking control of their own destiny and not leave it in the hands of the West.  The West must no longer have a say in Africa's affairs since Africa has no say in theirs. African youth must follow Malcolm X's advice by doing "whatever is necessary" to ensure the complete sovereignty of African people. Hort

 African Union calls for unity govt in Zimbabwe

By Opheera McDoom

Tue Jul 1, 2008

The African Union called on Tuesday for a national unity government in Zimbabwe after the widely condemned re-election of President Robert Mugabe in a violent poll ruled unfair by monitors. A summit of the pan-African body, which had been divided over what to do about Zimbabwe, adopted a resolution calling for Mugabe to enter negotiations with opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who withdrew from the election because of violence.The resolution fell short of the much tougher statement wanted by some African nations but it was a rare AU intervention in an internal political dispute and an unprecedented rebuff to Mugabe, previously feted as a liberation hero.Before the two-day summit ended, Zimbabwe's neighbor Botswana called for Mugabe to be barred from both the AU and southern African regional body SADC.

It was the toughest public statement from one of Zimbabwe's neighbors since Mugabe was sworn in on Sunday following a one-candidate election condemned by monitors and much of world opinion as violent and unfair. "In our considered view... the representatives of the current government in Zimbabwe should be excluded from attending SADC (Southern African Development Community) and African Union meetings," Botswana Vice President Mompati Merafhe said, according to a text of his remarks. Botswana said Mugabe's participation in African meetings "would give unqualified legitimacy to a process which cannot be considered legitimate." It said the government and opposition must be treated as equal in any mediation.

Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga has also called for Mugabe, 84, to be suspended from the AU after an election which extended the veteran leader's 28-year rule. European Union president France said the EU would only accept a Zimbabwean government led by Tsvangirai, echoing a Western position that Mugabe was now an illegitimate leader.Tsvangirai defeated Mugabe in the first round of the election on March 29 but withdrew from the runoff after he said pro-government militias killed 86 of his supporters.

DEEP RIFTS

The summit in the resort of Sharm el-Sheikh was dominated by a deepening political and economic crisis in Zimbabwe, whose once prosperous economy is racked by the world's highest rate of inflation, food and fuel shortages and 80 percent unemployment.The Botswana statement underlined the deep rifts both within Africa as a whole and among Zimbabwe's neighbors over how tough to be with Mugabe. The summit overran by several hours because of the attempt to reach consensus on the issue.Regional power South Africa, the designated mediator in Zimbabwe, has resisted open condemnation. The summit called for SADC mediation, which has been led by President Thabo Mbeki, to continue. Mbeki is under criticism in the region and at home for what is seen as ineffective mediation that favors Mugabe.

Mugabe made a long address to the final session of the summit in which he attacked his critics both in Africa and outside but did not object to the resolution, Egyptian foreign ministry spokesman Hossam Zaki told reporters. "There was a lengthy debate, many views were put forward including very critical views of the Zimbabwean ruling party and the president," Zaki said.Summit delegates said earlier the leaders were divided between those who wanted a strong statement about Zimbabwe and others who were reluctant to publicly censure Mugabe. The adopted resolution was submitted by a security troika of SADC comprising Tanzania, Swaziland and Angola, which had called for the vote to be postponed. Negotiations look like being difficult despite the pressure from the summit, which called on the two sides to refrain from action that "may negatively impact on the climate of dialogue.."

Mugabe spokesman George Charamba earlier rejected ideas being floated for a Kenyan-style power-sharing deal and MDC Secretary-General Tendai Biti, who was jailed for two weeks before the vote, said there was no chance of negotiations. Biti said Mugabe's decision to go ahead with the June 27 election "totally and completely exterminated any prospects of a negotiated settlement." MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa said the party would respond to the AU resolution on Wednesday. The resolution said summit leaders were deeply concerned by the situation, but were convinced the Zimbabwean people "will be able to resolve their differences and work together once again as one nation, provided they receive undivided support from SADC, the AU and the world at large."

 In a sign of the depth of divisions, Charamba accused Odinga -- who has called for Mugabe to be expelled from the AU -- of having bloodstained hands from the crisis in his country, in which 1,500 people died earlier this year. "Odinga's hands drip with blood, raw African blood. And that blood is not going to be cleansed by any amount of abuse of Zimbabwe. Not at all," he told reporters. Odinga joined a power-sharing government with President Mwai Kibaki under an AU-backed deal to end the Kenya crisis. Tsvangirai left the Dutch embassy in Harare on Tuesday after taking refuge for more than a week, the Dutch government said. As expected, the summit did not back a U.S. push for United Nations sanctions against Mugabe, including an arms embargo. So far only Western powers have imposed financial and travel sanctions against the Zimbabwean leader and his top officials.

 (Additional reporting by Cynthia Johnston and Daniel Wallis in Sharm el-Sheikh, Nelson Banya and MacDonald Dzirutwe in Harare,

Marius Bosch in Johannesburg; Writing by Barry Moody; Editing by Matthew Tostevin)

Tsvangirai has nothing to offer Zimbabweans
Comment


THE MDC-T leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai is not entering the 27 June presidential election run-off to address issues affecting the ordinary Zimbabweans. For him this election is not about policy or issues affecting the welfare of Zimbabwe. He has one “universal” solution to every challenge facing the nation. Talk of food, employment creation, health delivery, and many other challenges, he offers one solution: “Our friends from the international community” will take care of that. Who are these friends? The US and British governments. Yes, our very enemies, the architects of the illegal sanctions that have brought so much suffering to the ordinary people — the British government which is still bitter over the land reform programme. So how can these be our friends, our messiahs?

Make no mistake, Mr Tsvangirai has a big deal with them. This election is not about Mr Tsvangirai winning. If he were to win, that would not be the headlines in the Western media and some sections of the local media, for this election is not about him. The main news will be the fall of President Mugabe. Why? One may ask.He has stood firm in their way. He is a symbol of strength and unity against imperialist forces. So, as we prepare for the presidential run-off, Zimbabweans must understand that our greatest enemy is not the power-hungry puppet MDC-T leader Mr Tsvangirai. Of course, Mr Tsvangirai and his MDC-T — even when combined with the failed Mutambara faction and the premature Makoni’s Mabambo project — is no challenge to the revolutionary Zanu-PF.

Zimbabweans are faced with the threat of the world’s most powerful countries — the US and Britain. These are bitter over the land reform programme. They have combined their energies to impose illegal sanctions as a way of effecting regime change. Make no mistake, if Mr Tsvangirai comes to power, the land reform programme will be reversed. Mr Tsvangirai himself has made it clear on several occasions that his “government” will reverse the land reform. He repeated this on Friday while addressing newly elected Members of the House of Assembly and Senators from his party in Harare that he will set up a land commission to come up with measures to compensate white former farmers who lost their land.

It is therefore not surprising that of late former white farmers have been seen trooping back into the country. They have been told to come back and get ready to evict resettled farmers. It is therefore clear that the presidential run-off is not about Mr Tsvangirai winning. The sponsors of MDC-T are using all arsenal at their disposal to reclaim land. They have tried to brew a protest vote through illegal sanctions-induced economic hardships but revolutionary Zimbabweans have resisted.Now they are trying to provoke the Government through inciting violence. They are splashing foreign currency hiring youths to engage in acts of violence so as to make the country ungovernable. However, the tried and tested Government of President Mugabe has been equal to the task. They have avoided playing into the enemy’s hands through retaliation, but chose to maintain peace.

We therefore ask the electorate to protect their interests through voting for our sovereignty and independence. June 27 presents an opportunity to once and for all show the Western powers that Zimbabwe is no longer a British colony and will never be one.

President Mugabe Defends Land Policy

By Philip Murombedzi
The Zimbabwe Guardian

3 June 2008

President Robert Mugabe on Tuesday defended the government's land policy in a speech at a United Nations conference on the global food crisis, saying he is undoing a legacy left by Zimbabwe's former colonial masters. He said Zimbabwe had "democratised land ownership" over the past decade and Zimbabweans were now the "proud owners" of land previously owned by a few thousand white farmers.

"Previously, this land was owned by a mere 4,000 farmers, mainly of British stock," he said. The President blamed international sanctions for many of Zimbabwe's woes and said the policies of the Zimbabwe government have been warmly welcomed by the people of Zimbabwe adding that Zimbabwe's "primary agriculture policy objective remains that of ensuring national and household food security through our own production." "Over the past decade, Zimbabwe has democratized the land ownership patterns in the country, with over 300,000 previously landless families now proud landowners. My country's primary agriculture policy objective remains that of ensuring national and household food security through our own production," he said.

"It has, however, and regrettably so, elicited wrath from our former colonial masters. In retaliation ... the United Kingdom has mobilized her friends and allies in Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand to impose illegal economic sanctions against Zimbabwe," he said. The sanctions aim to "cripple Zimbabwe's economy and thereby effect illegal regime change in our country," he said. In direct contrast to statements made in the British media, the President blamed food shortages in Zimbabwe on Britain and the West, as well as on climate change and soaring fuel prices globally, echoing the sentiments of other leaders who are attending the FAO conference, including President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal. He pointed out a "marked disequlibrium" in world food equations which he said were threatening disaster for "all that humanity has achieved over the centuries".

"The trend towards global food crisis should be a cause for concern to all global leaders." He also said global warming and the use of agricultural commodities for biofuels were linked to the crisis and needed an "urgent response" from all players in the world adding that the frequency and severity of droughts and flooods had increased over the past decade as the result of climate change and the effects have been felt in regions like Southern Africa that contribute very little to global greenhouse gas emissions. The whole of Africa is responsible for a mere 5 % of all global greenhouse gas emissions. The extreme weather conditions were exacerbating poverty levels, with farmers "trapped in a cycle of vulnerability" compounded by a decline in cereal stocks and "dramatic rises in the prices of food".

Soaring oil, chemical and fertiliser prices had also contributed. The result was that countries which were net food importers were "failing to achieve food security for their citizens". This was against a backdrop of "numerous challenges affecting agriculture in southern Africa" including the HIV/Aids virus and declining soil fertility. "Parallel to these capacity boosting initiatives, there is need to demonstrate political commitment to the Doha Round negotiations that should deliver a sustainable reform of the global trade policies in agricultural commodities. "I wish to restate that this summit needs to formulate robust action plans that recognize the need for fair trade policies in order to contribute towards the growth potential of the agriculture sector in the developing world."

Illegal regime change strategies

President Mugabe also said Britain and its allies sought to impose "illegal regime change" by channelling funds through NGOs to opposition parties, which were "the creation of the West", thus using food aid as a political weapon to force him from power. He made these comments as Care International was banned from carrying out relief work in Zimbabwe for allegedly helping distribute opposition MDC-T campaign literature in the run-up to the March 29 harmonized election.. "But these constraints on our agricultural performance have not deterred us from taking measures to increase agricultural productivity, including irrigation schemes and small and medium sized dams," he said.

Western response

Most Western representatives at the summit said they would have no contact with President Mugabe. Some expressed outrage he was allowed to attend a summit on a global crisis of soaring food prices and shortages, given that many blame him for plummeting farm production in his own country. Asked by a Channel 4 News journalist whether he saw it fit to attend the FAO Conference given the problems at home, President Mugabe was characteristically blunt, "Tell Gordon Brown that's nonsense."

The High-Level Conference on World Food Security

The Rome-based U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization is hosting the three-day High-Level Conference on World Food Security and the Challenges of Climate Change and Bio-energy to try to solve the short-term emergency of hunger caused by soaring prices, and to help poor countries grow enough food to feed their own. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon addressed world leaders saying that global food production must rise by 50 percent by 2030 to meet increasing demand. Ban said that nations must minimize export restrictions and import tariffs during the food price crisis and quickly resolve world trade talks. A global food crisis currently grips the world and threatens to push 100 million people into hunger, provoking food protests and could aggravate violence in war zones.

http://www.herald.co.zw/inside.aspx?sectid=967&cat=13

Dialogue way forward on land


FOR Zimbabwe, land remains one of the cornerstones of its political and economic independence as well as the very survival of the nation. Its importance is buttressed by the courage that saw sons and daughters of the soil taking up arms to fight colonial settlers. So anyone who resists land reform will — in essence — be fighting Zimbabweans and seeking to reverse the gains of the liberation struggle. This is precisely what white former commercial landholders who have taken their case to the Sadc Tribunal in Namibia are regrettably doing.

It is most unfortunate that they started a fight they cannot sustain to the end, as the path they have chosen is hugely confrontational and only serves to heighten the people’s agitation. The law clearly states that once land is compulsorily acquired, that decision cannot be challenged in court. By taking the matter to court, the white former farmers are seeking the reversal of land reform but more importantly are seeking to take us back to the colonial era.

President Mugabe has repeatedly made it crystal clear that land reform is irreversible and that no amount of pressure will force the Government to shift from that stance. When we talk of land, we are talking about the economic well-being of the people, about  food security, about employment creation and without land we become a nation of begging bowels. If the white former commercial farmers have genuine concerns, it is in their best interests to engage the Government to see how they can also benefit from land reform. By going to the tribunal with unsubstantiated claims of violence and calling for peacekeepers to be sent to Zimbabwe, only goes to show that the farmers are still unrepentant and spoiling for a fight in order to continue benefiting from the spoils of colonialism.

Whatever the tribunal says will not reverse land reform. There is no way thousands of Zimbabweans settled on commercial farms will be kicked out to accommodate white former farmers. Their hope for a return lies entirely in engaging the Government and taking advantage of the spirit of dialogue that President Mugabe has been preaching before and after the elections. For the white former farmers to think the tribunal will return land to them is sheer wishful thinking. The land question is purely internal and specifically a Zimbabwean issue, which only us can resolve the way that suits us.

Nothing will divert the Government from its goal to empower its people. The white former farmers are just publicity seekers who need to quickly realise land reform was never about colour but about correcting the skewed land imbalances created by the colonial regime. They need to realise that the quicker they stop confrontation with the Government and work towards an amicable solution to their problems, the better for them, given that the platform for dialogue and talks has been presented for them and others, of like mind. The case against the Government will not deter it from its goal to empower indigenous Zimbabweans.