Stating stand: Zimbabwe's Representative to the UN Boniface G Chidyausiku (R) speaks during a meeting of the Security Council at the UN last Friday in New York City. China and Russia vetoed a US draft resolution to impose sanctions against the government of Zimbabwe. Picture: AFP
Sunday, July 13, 2008
ZIMBABWE'S government rejoiced yesterday at the failure of a UN bid to impose fresh sanctions on President Robert Mugabe and his inner circle, but there was exasperation in London and Washington.
Particular praise from the Harare regime was bestowed upon South African President Thabo Mbeki, who has been criticised for his policy of "quiet diplomacy" by those who want to put Mugabe under greater pressure.
"We would like to thank countries that supported us at the United Nations and we would like to tell them that we will not disappoint them as we will address our problems ourselves," Information Minister Sikhanyiso Ndlovu said.
"We would like to thank President Thabo Mbeki, who is a leader par excellence as he has not yielded to international pressure and to the machinations of the West led by Britain and United States," Ndlovu said.
China and Russia last Friday vetoed the US draft resolution that would have imposed an arms embargo on Zimbabwe as well as an assets freeze and travel ban on Mugabe and 13 of his closest allies. South Africa, Libya and Vietnam voted against the resolution, while Indonesia abstained.
British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said the decision would be "incomprehensible" to the people of Zimbabwe and America's UN envoy warned that Russia's veto cast doubt on its reliability as a G8 ally. Russian later slammed this criticism as "unacceptable."
Mugabe was re-elected in a run-off last month after the main opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai pulled out, citing a campaign of intimidation and violence against his supporters that killed dozens and injured thousands.
Tsvangirai had earlier won the first round but fell short of a majority, according to the official results.
Mbeki is trying to mediate between Zimbabwe's ruling Zanu-PF party and Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), but has come in for increasing stick, particularly from Britain and the United States, for not being more outspoken against Mugabe.
"We are surprised by what appears as Mbeki appearing to protect Mugabe while Mugabe uses violent means to fragment the opposition," US Ambassador to the United Nations Zalmay Khalilzad said after the UN vote.
"I think he (Mbeki) is out of touch with the trends inside his own country," he added.
The South African government insisted, however, that dialogue between Zimbabwe's rival political parties would be enhanced by the rejection of the sanctions. "It is our considered view that imposing sanctions would indeed have impacted negatively on the current dialogue process among Zimbabwean political parties," a foreign ministry statement said. The role of the international community was to encourage dialogue "with a view to the creation of peace, stability, democracy and reconciliation," the statement said.
A second day of talks between representatives of Zanu-PF and the MDC were held in South Africa last Friday as the parties laid the ground for substantive negotiations on the country's crisis. The talks were the first since Mugabe won his sixth consecutive term since independence in 1980 in a June 27 presidential poll widely denounced as a sham. The MDC has insisted substantive negotiations could only take place if violence is halted and over 1,500 "political prisoners" are released.
They have also called for an expanded mediation team including an African Union permanent envoy.AFP
Particular praise from the Harare regime was bestowed upon South African President Thabo Mbeki, who has been criticised for his policy of "quiet diplomacy" by those who want to put Mugabe under greater pressure.
"We would like to thank countries that supported us at the United Nations and we would like to tell them that we will not disappoint them as we will address our problems ourselves," Information Minister Sikhanyiso Ndlovu said.
"We would like to thank President Thabo Mbeki, who is a leader par excellence as he has not yielded to international pressure and to the machinations of the West led by Britain and United States," Ndlovu said.
China and Russia last Friday vetoed the US draft resolution that would have imposed an arms embargo on Zimbabwe as well as an assets freeze and travel ban on Mugabe and 13 of his closest allies. South Africa, Libya and Vietnam voted against the resolution, while Indonesia abstained.
British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said the decision would be "incomprehensible" to the people of Zimbabwe and America's UN envoy warned that Russia's veto cast doubt on its reliability as a G8 ally. Russian later slammed this criticism as "unacceptable."
Mugabe was re-elected in a run-off last month after the main opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai pulled out, citing a campaign of intimidation and violence against his supporters that killed dozens and injured thousands.
Tsvangirai had earlier won the first round but fell short of a majority, according to the official results.
Mbeki is trying to mediate between Zimbabwe's ruling Zanu-PF party and Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), but has come in for increasing stick, particularly from Britain and the United States, for not being more outspoken against Mugabe.
"We are surprised by what appears as Mbeki appearing to protect Mugabe while Mugabe uses violent means to fragment the opposition," US Ambassador to the United Nations Zalmay Khalilzad said after the UN vote.
"I think he (Mbeki) is out of touch with the trends inside his own country," he added.
The South African government insisted, however, that dialogue between Zimbabwe's rival political parties would be enhanced by the rejection of the sanctions. "It is our considered view that imposing sanctions would indeed have impacted negatively on the current dialogue process among Zimbabwean political parties," a foreign ministry statement said. The role of the international community was to encourage dialogue "with a view to the creation of peace, stability, democracy and reconciliation," the statement said.
A second day of talks between representatives of Zanu-PF and the MDC were held in South Africa last Friday as the parties laid the ground for substantive negotiations on the country's crisis. The talks were the first since Mugabe won his sixth consecutive term since independence in 1980 in a June 27 presidential poll widely denounced as a sham. The MDC has insisted substantive negotiations could only take place if violence is halted and over 1,500 "political prisoners" are released.
They have also called for an expanded mediation team including an African Union permanent envoy.AFP