rt Mugabe with kid gloves.
Leaders of the SADC, an inter-government body uniting 14 southern-African countries, met in the Zambian capital Lusaka on August 16-17, to discuss the
situation in Zimbabwe.
Analysts said while they did not expect SADC heads of state to abandon South African president Thabo Mbeki’s policy of quiet diplomacy on Zimbabwe, they had hoped for some tough talk about the deteriorating economic situation.
In March, SADC leaders tasked Mbeki with leading a process of mediation to achieve a political accommodation between Zanu (PF) and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, to resolve the country’s eight-year political and economic crisis.
The MDC is demanding a new constitution, electoral-law reforms and the right of all Zimbabweans in the diaspora to vote, as well as an end to political violence and repression before joint presidential and parliamentary elections, scheduled for next year
Although Mbeki reported significant ‘progress’ in his presentation at the Zambian summit, analysts say there has been little change.
A Western diplomat in Harare responded, “these two gentlemen (Mbeki and Salomao) have been a big let-down.
“Mbeki has succeeded in convincing everyone that his quiet diplomacy is the way to go, although nothing tangible has come out of it over the years. People at least expected some limited variation to the usual solidarity message and back-patting that African leaders have become infamous for,” he said.
The diplomat said that instead of encouraging Mugabe to reform, the SADC summit had provided him with no incentive to abandon his policies.
Salomao should have left politics to the politicians, but “instead, he is repeating the government mantra that foreign sanctions are to blame for Zimbabwe’s parlous state”.
“This is deplorable and regrettable. We need some straight talking if political leaders are to change their ways. If everyone begins to sing their propaganda tune, then we are lost,” he said. “Now Mugabe can go to his regional colleagues and tell them, ‘This is what we have been telling you. America and Britain are punishing us for taking our land’.”
A senior official in the MDC said that, while the party was keen to participate in the Mbeki talks, the process was fast losing credibility.
“We are engaged in a process in which we are unable to influence the course
of events,” said the official, who asked for anonymity. “Some of our key demands, like a new constitution, are dismissed outright, yet we are expected to keep negotiating. We really don’t know what President Mbeki means by progress, because so far there haven’t been talks to talk about.”
The MDC official said SADC leaders still clearly favoured Mugabe and Zanu (PF). The region is largely ruled by first-generation liberation movements suspicious of new actors in the political arena, which they often accuse of acting as fronts for Western interests, he said.
“Although they talk in hushed tones about the need for change in Zimbabwe,
none of them openly expresses solidarity with those fighting for that change,” he said. “It is as if those opposed to Mugabe are engaged in illegal activities.”
But another diplomat said it may not be smooth sailing ahead for Mugabe. While condemning Salomao’s ‘hopeless’ diagnosis, he said that the SADC’s proposed rescue package would come with tough conditions.
He noted that none of the reports by Mbeki and Salomao had been formally
adopted at the summit because there was no consensus on what needed to
be done, or on the true cause of the crisis.
“Salomao probably reported what he presumed the leaders wanted to hear,” he said, “but there were clear calls for political change in Zimbabwe, and aid won’t come cheap. That message must have been made clear to Mugabe and his ministers, despite attempts to save face.”
Mugabe told reporters back home that the summit had gone well and that his government would proceed with its economic strategies.
Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa, who is leading the government team in the talks, was dismissive of the dialogue, saying there was nothing to
negotiate with the MDC. – IWPR