Any transitional government in Zimbabwe must include opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai as premier, the European Commission said on Wednesday, endorsing an African Union call for an interim national union administration.
”We fully support the African Union’s call for a government of national unity,” commission development spokesperson John Clancy told a regular briefing.
”Any transitional government must include Morgan Tsvangirai as prime minister or head of government.”
He said the European Union executive was looking into all options for sanctions against President Robert Mugabe, who was re-elected in a one-candidate run-off last week denounced by African observers as neither free nor fair.
The EU has travel bans and asset freezes on Mugabe and his senior aides, but that has not prevented him travelling to international meetings in Lisbon and Rome in the last year, taking advantage of his diplomatic immunity as head of state.
Tsvangirai, who led Mugabe in the first round in March, withdrew from the second round complaining of widespread murder, violence and intimidation by Mugabe’s security forces and militias against opposition supporters.
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, whose country took over the EU presidency on Tuesday, said earlier the 27-nation European Union would only accept a Zimbabwean government headed by Tsvangirai.
Mbeki rejects EU demands
Meanwhile, South African President Thabo Mbeki has rejected the EU’s demands that Tsvangirai must lead a future government.
”The result that comes out of that process of dialogue, must be a result that is agreed by the Zimbabweans and we certainly — and certainly the African continent — has not made any prescriptions about the outcomes of what the Zimbabweans must negotiate among themselves,” Mbeki told the South African Broadcasting Corporation
”The AU and SADC [Southern African Development Community] cannot dictate the outcome of negotiations between Zimbabwe and political parties.
”Everybody is convinced that it is only via an instrument of an inclusive government, that includes all of these political parties of Zimbabwe, within a framework that they themselves would agree, that
this is the only way you can take Zimbabwe forward.”
Mugabe ready to talk
Meanwhile, Mugabe said he welcomed the AU’s call for a unity government and is ready to talk to the opposition.
”The AU resolution is in conformity to what President Mugabe said at his inauguration, when he said we are prepared to talk in order to resolve our problems,” said Information Minister Sikhanyiso Ndlovu.
”We are committed to talk, not just with Tsvangirai but to other parties as well.” – Reuters