Tuesday, July 1, 2008

AU makes some criticism of Mugabe, but stops short of serious critique

Cris Chinaka, writing for Reuters, gives a good summary of what the African Union did and didn't achieve in terms of recognizing Mugabe's "sham" election as president of Zimbabwe.

The strongest criticism came from Botswana's Vice-President Mompati Merafhe, who issued a statement requesting that Mugabe be excluded from AU and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) meetings:

"'In our considered view ... the representatives of the current government
in Zimbabwe should be excluded from attending SADC (Southern African Development
Community) and African Union meetings,' Botswana Vice-President Mompati Merafhe
said, according to a text of his remarks."

However, as Chinaka reports, Egypt and South Africa do not agree:

"South Africa, the designated mediator in Zimbabwe, has resisted open
condemnation. The AU summit, in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, called
for SADC mediation, led by South African President Thabo Mbeki, to continue.
"