French Leader Says Mugabe 'Must Go'
By VOA News
08 December 2008
French President Nicolas Sarkozy, the current head of the European Union, says Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe "must go."
Speaking in Paris Monday, Mr. Sarkozy accused the Zimbabwean leader of taking his people hostage.
The French leader adds his voice to other European, African and American officials calling for immediate political change in Zimbabwe. The country is reeling from food shortages, a breakdown of government services, and a cholera epidemic that has killed at least 575 people.
A South African government delegation is in Zimbabwe Monday to assess ways of easing the crisis.
State-run media in Zimbabwe has accused western powers of using the health crisis as a means to rally support for Mr. Mugabe's ouster.
EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana told reporters Monday in Brussels the time has come to pressure Mr. Mugabe into leaving power and giving the people of Zimbabwe a chance to move their country forward.
Solana's comments came just ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers to discuss what further action to take against Mr. Mugabe's government, widely blamed for the catastrophic state of the country.
Mr. Mugabe was returned to power after a second-round run-off presidential vote in June boycotted by the opposition, which had won parliamentary elections. A power-sharing deal reached in September has yet to be implemented, amid wrangling over the allocation of key cabinet positions.
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