Military

DATE=12/08/03

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

TITLE=ZIMBABWE/POLITICS (L-Only)

NUMBER=2-310624

BYLINE=PETA THORNYCROFT

DATELINE=HARARE

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: Human rights advocates in Zimbabwe are concerned that President Mugabe's decision to pull his country out of the Commonwealth will leave the international community with less leverage to pressure his government. Peta Thornycroft reports from Harare, pro-democracy forces also worry that Mr. Mugabe could retaliate against the opposition, which encouraged Commonwealth leaders meeting in Abuja last week to maintain Zimbabwe's suspension from the group.

TEXT: John Makumbe, political scientist at the University of Zimbabwe, says Mr. Mugabe is a vindictive man. Mr. Makumbe notes Mr. Mugabe was furious that he was not invited to the Commonwealth summit and that Zimbabwe's suspension from the group was not lifted.

He said the government knows that the human rights community and the opposition campaigned for the continued suspension of Zimbabwe from the Commonwealth, and those groups should expect a crackdown.

The 54-nation Commonwealth suspended Zimbabwe as a full member after its observers monitoring the presidential election in March 2003 said the poll was neither free nor fair.

More than half of African countries, which are members of the Commonwealth supported Zimbabwe's continued suspension.

Noktula Moyo, head of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, said she was at the Commonwealth summit in Nigeria, and had campaigned for Zimbabwe not to be expelled, but for its suspension to remain.

She said, now that Mr. Mugabe has withdrawn Zimbabwe from the group, he would feel no restraining pressure from the Commonwealth, and that people should expect more repression.

However, Andrew Nongogo, executive director of Transparency International, disagreed. He said he did not expect Mr. Mugabe to crack down on the opposition, because he would want to give the impression that leaving the Commonwealth was a minor event.

Mr. Nongogo said, when the Commonwealth suspended Zimbabwe, it set out standards of good governance to which Zimbabwe was a signatory, and knew it had to reform before its full membership could be restored. He said Mr. Mugabe had not complied with a single one of those Commonwealth resolutions.

/// OPT /// Mr. Nongogo criticized South Africa, which he said protected Zimbabwe from international -- and more importantly regional -- pressure for so long, and continued to do so at the Commonwealth summit. /// END OPT ///

Didymus Mutasa, a spokesman for the ruling ZANU-P-F party, said in radio interviews Monday that Zimbabwe's decision to leave the Commonwealth was set in stone at the party's congress which ended Saturday. He, like Mr. Mugabe, says the Commonwealth is dominated by "racists."

Zimbabwe's parliament meets for the last time before the Christmas recess Tuesday. Opposition members say they are hoping the ruling party will put the decision to parliament for debate. (SIGNED)

NEB/PT/TW/KBK