A two-day summit of Southern African leaders closes in Lusaka, Zambia, on Friday with observers eagerly anticipating word on two reports on efforts to resolve the crisis in neighbouring Zimbabwe.
South Africa’s President Thabo Mbeki was due to report to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) heads of state summit on his efforts to broker a stalemate between Zimbabwe’s ruling Zanu-PF and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change.
His report was to be submitted to a special ministerial committee comprising Tanzania, Angola and Namibia, which was due to meet behind closed doors on Thursday afternoon before being tabled at the summit, which is also closed.
SADC secretariat executive secretary Tomaz Salomao was set to present his report on Zimbabwe’s ailing economy, including a proposed turnaround plan, to the same committee.
It was not known if the reports would be made public at Friday afternoon’s closing session.
The SADC summit kicked off Thursday with a warm welcome for Zimbabwe’s embattled President Robert Mugabe as his Zambian counterpart, incoming SADC chairperson Levy Mwanawasa, called for peace and stability in the ailing neighbouring state.
Mwanawasa, who had previously likened Zimbabwe to a ”sinking Titanic”, urged Zimbabweans to ”maintain peace and stability at all costs”, and assured the country of SADC’s support.
The 14-member regional bloc is under renewed pressure to find a resolution to Zimbabwe’s woes, characterised by an inflation rate exceeding 5 000%, four in every five people jobless and 80% living under the poverty line.
The situation has caused thousands of Zimbabweans to flee daily to neighbouring countries.
Mugabe blames the current crises on drought and targeted sanctions imposed by the European Union against his ruling elite after 2002 presidential polls, which the opposition and Western observers say were rigged.
But critics say Zimbabwe’s problems started with controversial land reforms in 2000 in which the government seized at least 4 000 farms from white commercial farmers for re-allocation to landless black Zimbabweans and state cronies.
Zimbabwe’s Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa on Thursday dismissed claims of government human rights abuses, telling journalists in Lusaka: ”There are no political reforms necessary in my country.”
A long-mooted SADC standby military force will be launched on the final day of the summit, Friday. — AFP
