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UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

ZIMBABWE: Mugabe will not be present in Abuja

JOHANNESBURG, 25 November 2003 (IRIN) - Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe will not attend the upcoming Commonwealth summit in Nigeria next month, ending weeks of speculation that the government's last-minute attempts might secure him an invitation.

"We will not have an invitation [for Zimbabwe]. If there is no invitation they will not come," Nigeria's Olusegun Obasanjo reportedly told journalists in the southwestern Nigerian town of Otta on Tuesday.

After meeting with Obasanjo in Harare last week, Mugabe was reportedly optimistic about a possible invite to the gathering. He told the official ZIANA news agency: "We must be allowed to attend the CHOGM [Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting] in Abuja because we are a full member of the Commonwealth."

Nigeria and South Africa have openly favoured "constructive engagement" with Zimbabwe, and Obasanjo's visit was seen as the latest attempt to coax the government into kick-starting stalled talks with the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).

But other Commonwealth members such as Britain and Australia have argued against Mugabe's presence at the summit, calling for fresh elections and a commitment from authorities to address allegations of rights abuses before an invitation could be issued.

According to John Mukumbe, a political analyst at the University of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe's exclusion from the summit could signal further isolation from countries previously regarded as close allies.

"It was quite clear to Obasanjo that there has been no improvement in relations between the government and the MDC. The political climate remains tense and Mugabe has reneged on all of the promises he has made in the past. Given the current situation, Obasanjo did not have any choice but to lend his support to exclude Mugabe from the summit."

Mukumbe added that the snub from the Commonwealth "may just be the turning point", in the country's political crisis.

"In the face of such disapproval, it would not be surprising if we see moves to relax some of the laws which have been used to supress dissent," he said.

Under Zimbabwean law, the police must give permission for all demonstrations, a condition which rights activists say has curtailed basic freedoms. Last week scores of activists were arrested while preparing to protest spiralling inflation and the government's handling of the current economic crisis.

Themes: (IRIN) Governance

[ENDS]

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