/ 16 June 2001

MBEKI, BLAIR PRONOUNCE ON ZIMBABWE

SOUTH African President Thabo Mbeki said on the last full day of his official visit to Britain on Thursday that “a lot of things have gone wrong” in Zimbabwe. He made the comments after meeting British Prime Minister Tony Blair in Downing Street where the two men issued a joint statement saying they wanted to see a “stable, democratic and prosperous” Zimbabwe. Afterwards, Mbeki said: “There are a lot of things that have gone wrong in Zimbabwe but the support of the Prime Minister Tony Blair is very important with regard to helping find solutions to the challenge there.” The joint statement also called for “urgent steps” to reverse the economic crisis in Zimbabwe and an “urgent need for land reform within the rule of law”.