30 June 2008 - 03H56
Zimbabwe overshadows AU summit
African Union leaders meeting at a summit in Sharm el-Sheikh face mounting pressure to denounce Robert Mugabe’s controversial re-election as AU monitors said Zimbabwe’s vote run-off fell short of standards.
The 11th African Union summit opened its doors this Monday at Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt, with the Zimbabwean crisis on top of the agenda.
In the opening of the summit, the AU Commission chief Jean Ping said the continent must act to end the crisis, while South Africa called for the Zimbabwean opposition and Mugabe's ZANU-PF party to hold talks towards the formation of a transitional government.
“Africa must fully shoulder its responsibility and do everything in its power to help Zimbabwe’s parties to work together so as to overcome current challenges,” Ping said at the summit opening.
Water and sanitation should have been on the plate for the delegates. But after a long and embarrassing silence, the political crisis in Zimbabwe, exacerbated by the re-election of President Robert Mugabe on Sunday, has finally taken over the summit’s agenda
“It is symbolically very important that Zimbabwe be the official order of the day,” said Alex Duval Smith, France 24’s correspondent in South Africa.
In earlier meetings, Mugabe had been greeted with ovations from his African counterparts. Yet, this time around, his arrival on Monday was somewhat more muted.
Western powers and the Zimbabwean opposition place great hope on this African Union summit. “No-one but the countries of Africa can do something”, said Duval-Smith. Mugabe, whose struggle with the influence of Western powers constitutes an eternal battle-cry, “will never listen to a westerner”, she added.
The AU risks being timid
But “one should not wait for a condemnation on the part of the African Union”, according to the journalist. Even less should one expect a military intervention, as western countries might like. “What would troops do in Zimbabwe”, said Duval-Smith. “The AU sent forces just once, to the Comoros Islands, where there was a conflict. Here, there’s no war”.
When reached by France 24, Louis Magloire, journalist for the Cameroon daily The Messenger, agreed. “It would be illusory to think that the African Union can do something. It is too distant and too politically weak. The current president of the African Union, Jean Ping, is an ‘Mbeki double’. He avoids angering African leaders. We can’t wait for a firm condemnation from him.”
For their part, Western countries hope that the African Union does not recognize Robert Mugabe as President. “It’s impossible”, declared Duval-Smith. “How would mediation be possible? The African Union doesn’t want to shut the door on Mugabe. It may appear weak in recognizing the election of Mugabe, but it has its reasons”.
“As always in Africa, everything happens behind the scenes,” she continued. “All the mediators, Haïlé Menkerios of the UN, the South African leader Thabo Mbeki, have important roles. They continue to play an important part. It’s only later that we’ll understand the repercussions of these closed-door negotiations.”
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Comments
ZIMBABWE
All those head of states meeting in Egypy are like Mugabe. All of them have pecks in their eyes. None of them can therefore look straight into the eyes of Mugabe. They have all used the state machinery to enriched themeslves and reduce their citizens to nonentities. All that Africans face everywhere is humiliation, ridicule and become a laughing stock. Our leaders have make Africa a beggar begging with a golden bowl. They run from one summit to another to exposed their inefficency-China Afican Summit, India African Summit, EU African Summit. Japan African Summit soon it will be the Moon African Summit. Kofi Annen Said it right "Over successful decades African continent devolved into a land of big men with broken dreams"
Zim crisis
The evidence for crime against humanity in Zim is overwhelming and I am not sure what could result in the AU being divided on the issue of legitimacy. Mugabe went into an exersice to crown himself, kill the opposition supporters and defied the laws of the country yet the African Leaders can talk about power sharing with a dictater. Mbeki's position is compromised because he has farms in Zim and was leaving in Zim (Waterfalls surbub) during the apartheid era and is told what to say by Mugabe.Surerly the precedence being set by Zim will be disasterous for the whole continent. Zimbabweans are not violent and Mugabe is taking advantage.
is shame on the part of africans
we claim to be united while other progress we regress,majority of the african leaders are dictators themselves,they talk about power sharing whereas we should talk about democracy,many should question themselves whether the are fit to attend that conference for is something useless indeed because they talk about power sharing just for most of them to stay in power is shame
AU must be decisive
After Thabo Mbekis failed mediation effort on behalf of SADC the AU must take decisive, meaningful action in the Zimbabwe crisis. Mbeki's efforts have yielded no fruit at all. You cannot mediate the battering and killing of innocent, defenceless people, by their own government. I suppose a transitional government may be the only plausable option for now as the MDC have a hold of parliament and ZANU PF have the executive. Perhaps Mr Mugabe can explain his utterances that he would not accept an MDC victory - what exactly did he mean? I hope the AU take a tough stance on this or else other African states will follow the example of "democracy the ZANU PF way".
power is corrupt
Why do these African leaders get excited to talk about POWER SHARING ARRANGEMENTS, as if its a common denominator to all situations. What I can see from the entire lot is that, they themselves would wish to stay in power forever, at the cost of lives of those who endorse them through polls (willingly or forcibly through terror tactics) into offices. Its a SHAME.