• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

ZIMBABWE: Commonwealth united in concern - McKinnon

KAMPALA, 14 October 2003 (IRIN) - The secretary-general of the Commonwealth, Don McKinnon, has denied that there is a rift within the 54-country body over how to deal with the Zimbabwe crisis.

Speaking at a press conference held in the Ugandan capital Kampala on Monday, McKinnon said that the standard story about "the Commonwealth countries in the West taking a tough stance on [President Robert] Mugabe", while the African members treat him with kid gloves, is "inaccurate".

"Zimbabwe is not, as it is commonly perceived, an issue dividing Africa from the rest of the Commonwealth," Mckinnon told journalists at the conference. "There's not a single African leader I spoke to that isn't deeply unhappy about Zimbabwe. No one wants this crisis to just carry on for ever. All African leaders want to see reconciliation in Zimbabwe."

He said countries in the Commonwealth were united by the desire to see change. "The Commonwealth wants to see a rapid improvement in the lives of Zimbabweans suffering under the present regime," Mckinnon stressed.

"Let's not forget which countries outside Zimbabwe are being hurt by this situation," he added. "President Mbeki [of South Africa] tells me he now has three million exiled Zimbabweans living in his country. Botswana has 400,000, Mozambique has 200,000."

Mckinnon said that the key issue facing Zimbabwe was its approach to land redistribution. "We are still urging that there are better ways of dealing with the land issue. The Commonwealth is offering to finance a legitimate programme of distribution. Regrettably, the regime doesn't want any dealings with us."

McKinnon added that "a way must be found to reconcile [the ruling] ZANU-PF with [opposition leader Morgan] Tsvangirai's
Movement for Democratic Change, so that the rivalry between them becomes like that occurring between parties in any healthy democracy".

Zimbabwe is currently suspended from the decision-making councils of the Commonwealth over its human rights and governance record. A Commonwealth Chairpersons' Committee on Zimbabwe, known as the "Troika", chaired by Australian Prime Minister John Howard and including the presidents of Nigeria and South Africa, was mandated in 2002 to determine Commonwealth action on Zimbabwe.

Howard has reportedly urged a far harder line on Zimbabwe than his African colleagues, who have argued for a strategy of engagement and persuasion. South Africa, in particular, has been identified with this policy dubbed "quiet diplomacy".

Nigeria, however, the host of December's Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, confirmed this month that Mugabe would not be invited to attend.

Theme(s): (IRIN) Governance

[ENDS]

The material contained on this Web site comes to you via IRIN, a UN humanitarian information unit, but may not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations or its agencies. If you re-print, copy, archive or re-post any item on this site, please retain this credit and disclaimer. Quotations or extracts should include attribution to the original sources. All graphics and Images on this site may not be re-produced without the express permission of the original owner. All materials copyright © UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 2003