"Morgan Tsvangirais?appointment?offers the possibility of a change for
the better," said Foreign Secretary David Miliband while underscoring
that the veteran opposition leader should be given enough leeway to
usher in change.
"They?will need to?be given the?room to lead change,?not least
from?Zanu-PF and its leadership," he said, referring to veteran
President Robert Mugabe’s party.
"Britain and the international community will be looking for the whole
government to demonstrate, through its actions,?a clear commitment to
the reforms?that the Zimbabwean people?so deserve."
He said Tsvangirai – a persistent thorn in Mugabe’s flesh – and
his?team?"have a formidable challenge in bringing?legitimacy and?reform
to Zimbabwe’s government."
Tsvangirai’s swearing-in Wednesday caps nearly a year of turmoil that
began last March, when he won a first-round presidential vote that was
greeted with nationwide political violence, mostly against his
supporters.
Hoping to end the unrest that left at least 180 dead, Tsvangirai pulled
out of the run-off and left Mugabe to claim a one-sided victory
denounced as a farce by the world community.
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon hailed Tsvangirai’s
swearing-in and urged the unity government to address critical problems
immediately.
"The new government of national unity will need to immediately address
the economic and humanitarian crises in the country, including the
current cholera epidemic," Ban’s press office said in a statement.
The European Union, which like the United States has slapped sanctions
on Mugabe and his inner circle, expressed hope the new set-up would be
able to end years of crises and restore democracy.
"This is an important step towards democratic rule in the country. The
EU hopes that the formation of the new government will lead to an
immediate end to political violence and intimidation… and the
stabilisation and recovery of Zimbabwe," it said in a statement.
Washington, like the other Western donors, said it was too early to be optimistic.
"We need to see evidence of good governance and particularly real, true
power-sharing on the part of Robert Mugabe before we are going to make
any kind of commitment… to provide further development assistance or
to easing sanctions," State Department acting spokesperson Robert Wood
told reporters.
South Africa brokered the unity deal, which was signed on September 15
but stalled amid protracted talks on how to distribute cabinet posts
and share control of the security forces.
Those concerns were finally addressed when the parties agreed to name
co-ministers to home affairs, which oversees the police, and to create
a new national body giving all parties control of the security forces.
Zimbabwe’s southern neighbour South Africa, which has seen an estimated
three million people cross the border into its territory during the
crisis, described the moment as an "important milestone" for national
healing.
"South Africa and indeed the entire (southern African) region stands
ready to support the people of Zimbabwe morally, politically and
economically as they embark on this difficult path of reconstruction
and development of their country," President Kgalema Motlanthe said.
Today’s Zimbabwe – steered by Mugabe since its 1980 independence from
Britain – bears virtually no relation its former self when it was
regarded as a model economy and its currency was on a par with the
British pound.
Now it has the world’s highest inflation rate, the currency is in
freefall and more than half its population needs emergency food aid.
Unemployment is at 94 percent and a cholera epidemic has hit nearly 70
000 people since August, killing about 3 400. – AFP
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