Officials from Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Industry and International Trade told ZimOnline yesterday the regional summit will take place in the resort town of Victoria Falls from November 25 to December 8, 2008.
Industry minister Obert Mpofu also confirmed the summit will take place in Zimbabwe but refused to disclose further details on the matter. “I heard that it’s coming but I can’t comment further,” said Mpofu.
The summit had been initially set to take place in Victoria Falls in May but was cancelled after state-sponsored violence engulfed the country following President Robert Mugabe’s loss to opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai in a first round presidential election in March.
The violence also forced Tsvangirai to pull out of the second round presidential vote after more than 100 of his supporters were killed and thousands of others displaced in the run up to the June 27 run-off election. Mugabe went on to win the run-off poll uncontested.
In postponing the summit at the peak of political violence in May, COMESA had said it was doing so to give Zimbabwe time to conclude its electoral processes.
The COMESA seeks to promote regional economic integration through trade and investment. It boasts 19 member countries, which represent a market of 319 million inhabitants.
Total trade between member countries adds up to about US$159 billion per year. The regional body has a gross domestic product of US$275 billion a year.
Zimbabwe was a major player in COMESA before its economy disintegrated over the past decade due to what critics say are Mugabe’s wrong economic policies and political repression.
The power-sharing deal signed by Mugabe, Tsvangirai and another opposition leader Arthur Mutambara is seen as the best opportunity yet for Zimbabwe to end an acute recession that is seen in the world’s highest inflation of 11 million percent, deepening poverty amid shortages of food and every basic survival commodity.
However, the deal remains in limbo and at risk of unraveling after Mugabe and Tsvangirai failed this week to agree on how to share key posts in the proposed unity government.  ZimOnline