/ 24 July 2001

‘I LOVE BOB, I LOVE HIM NOT, I…’

HOT on the heels of orchestrating a watered-down resolution on Zimbabwe at last week’s final OAU summit, South African President Thabo Mbeki said on Thursday he agreed with concerns that unrest in Zimbabwe had the potential to provoke unrest elsewhere in southern Africa if it were not brought under control. Speaking during a two-day visit to Rome where he met foreign ministers from the Group of Eight most powerful nations, Mbeki said he agreed with fears those ministers had expressed. Asked if he thought presidential elections, scheduled for early next year, would be free and fair, Mbeki was non-committal. – IRIN