United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan is to visit Zimbabwe in a further attempt to resolve that country’s problems.
Briefing the media in Cape Town after discussions with President Thabo Mbeki, Annan said Zimbabwe had great potential and an important role to play on the continent.
The current situation in the country was extremely difficult for Zimbabwe itself, the region, and the world, and had to be resolved, he said.
Annan was responding to a question about South Africa’s policy of pursuing ”quiet diplomacy” to resolve the problems there.
”We live in an interdependent world,” he said.
There had been a tendency by African countries not to get involved in the internal affairs of other African countries. However, in this day and age, very few crises remained internal, and usually soon affected neighbouring countries.
Annan said South Africa had done a lot in trying to help resolve the crisis in Zimbabwe, and that country’s neighbours should be encouraged to work with the Zimbabweans to solve their problems.
He intended to visit Zimbabwe — not on his current trip — but on a special visit, to ”discuss the issues” with the Zimbabwean authorities.
Because of its history, its potential, and the important role it had to play, it was necessary to restore Zimbabwe to the position it ought to occupy, Annan said.
He thanked South Africa, and Mbeki personally, for his efforts in helping to resolve conflicts on the African continent, including the Ivory Coast, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Darfur in Sudan.
”I have always been able to count on the president [Mbeki] as a very reliable partner,” Annan said. — Sapa