Mugabe would always agree to a GNU. Three reasons:- firstly, he knows that his legitimacy is a sham in the eyes of the world as well as amongst his peers - a GNU is best outcome that is realistically available to him; secondly, the fuse on the timebomb that is the Zimbabwean economy is burning faster and faster - he needs to find away of spreading the responsibility for that catastrophe; and thirdly - he completely duped Nkomo in the previous GNU and he thinks he will be able to do it again.

I cannot, however, envisage a GNU in which Mugabe is a part, any part. The economic assistance that Zimbabwe so desparately needs simply will not be available whilst Mugabe has his fingers on the controls. Nor is the trust or respect between the parties there to enable anything other than a very temperorary arrangement to survive.

The only option is a transitional government leading to free and fair elections in 4-6 months. It may be that neither Robert Mugabe or Morgan Tsvangerai play a role in that transitional government.This may be the only way in which each side of Zimbabwean politics will save face or have trust in the mechanism.

A GNU is definately not the solution to Zimbabwe's crissis and it boggles the mind how the AU could seriously envisage a GNU as a solution.The man has brutaulised innocent, ordinary Zimbabweans for voting for the opposition in the March 29 election.More than 100 people lost their lives and countless more displaced, some having all property and possesions accumulated in a lifetime destroyed, and the crime, voting for the MDC and having a different political opinion from Zanu PF. Mugabe is a man who is now beyond reasoning with, and i dont understand why the AU failed to take a tough stance against him and his illegitimate regime. Mugabe is the most hated man in Zimbabwe at this moment, and the Zimbabwean populace has been cowed into silence by blatant use of state machinery and force. Only a Zimbabwean resident in Zimbabwe at this moment understands what i am writing about.Being labelled a member of the opposition is a death sentence and we had pinned our hopes of deliverance from this 84 year old lunatic and his blood thirsty junta on the AU. Africa is failing the ordinary defenceless Zimbabwe by its failure to take decisive action on Mugabe, a leader disowned by his own people. Mbeki is obviously the wrong man for the job due to his support for Mugabe. The situation has degenareted under his watchfull eye and his so called and non existant "silent diplomacy". When shall Africa rise and take charge of its own political affairs? Its time for the old generation of African leaders to exit, ushering in the new genaration of progressively minded leaders

Mugabe needs to take responsibility for his actions in downward spiral of Zimbabwe, and stop using the pathetic excuse of blaming it on the west. Yes this man was a freedom fighter, but what freedom is he fighting for now? He is ruining the lives of millions of Zimbabweans in his quest for to hold on to power. He is a disgrace to mankind, and for those who support him, you are fools.

This GNU mentality is a bad thing for Africa. Kenya, in recent memory, did it and Zimbabwe is going on with it's own version of it. I do not know why the AU was so passive on the issue. However we are now setting the precedence for old imbeciles who do not want to give up power in Africa. All you have to do is stir up unrest during or after elections and call for a GNU. I do believe that the international observers share some of the blame when they used "exit polls" to determine the percentage that the opposition had gained even before counting. With the experience of New Hampshire elections in the US, I wondewr why they ventured in making such a prediction. IMO the prediction gave Mugabe fodder to use that he needed a runoff. From that moment on all that was needed was to skew that votes to show a need for runoff. I hope that Tsvangirai rejects the GNU outright. We need a leader, for once, who will show that he does not crave power. If Mugabe wants it so bad let him have it. Any sign of support for GNU means that Tsvangirai is probably just another politician. Let's wait and see what the outcome is.

The AU is as weak and indecisive as Mbeki, is as a mediator, the last time they tried the National Unity Government,tens of thousands of Ndebeles was killed, Mugabe is a meglomaniac, He only understand money in his pocket,power, greed and illusions of grandure, Mugabe has to be hit were it hurts, Personal Finances

1.Freeze all oveseas Accounts,(the money is stolen just like drugs money). 2.Ban/Ground Air Zimbabwe from Flying across Neighbouring countries Airspace, This will Keep them all in Zimbabwe, 3.Deport their children/relatives from all countries and send them back to Zimbabwe. 4.A Total Arms Embargo.(Air & Land)

No Financial Aid packages, only humanitarian,ie Food Program run by NGO's to ensure the population is feed and medicated accordingly.And that no one from In Zany PF can rob the funds

Inzany PF lost the elections, including the presidency, the Dictators of AU see that if this can happen in Zim it can happen to them too, so they play the 3 monkey trick , see, hear speak no evil, in relation to Mugabe, Which is why only a handfull of African countries had the spine and guts to speak out against Mugabe, the fact the AU allowed him in is incredible, Africa has a long way to before they can truly say they entered the 21st century. I think in the first instance Mbeki has to be removed from the negotiating table, he is PRO Inzany PF and Pro Mugabe, Sees himself as an intellctual, but show very little intellect, Annul the presidential election, Disarm War veterans and IN-zany PF Thug Militia, Install UN mandated African Peaceforce made up of non pro Zimbabwean Countries, Hold new elections and send Mugabe and his henchmen to war crime tribunal in Hague. On charges of Genocide, Infanticide, and Crimes against Humanity.

You need to pack and go back to the slave plantation. Please, no, my bad; Afraka still needs all of you with the colonial mindsets to come home to a free Afraka where consciousness of the spirit, mind and body rule our world!!!!

Peace n' love.

I wonder what is your defination for 'FREE AFRICA'

This post was deleted because it contravenes AllAfrica's commenting guidelines.

This post was deleted because it contravenes AllAfrica's commenting guidelines.

I also fail to understand how someone can have the nerve to show such support and loyalty to Mugabe and his cronies after the way they have caused the decay of Zimbabwe. I also fail to understand how some people don't see how Tsvangirai also contributed in the decay of Zimbabwe with his call for sanctions years back when he lost elections unfairly. Both of these leaders who want to rule Zimbabwe destroyed our country and we want it rebuilt to its former splendour. Mugabe and his cronies obviously can not do it, if they failed to do it during the time they were in power legitimately they can never do it now when the whole world is against them. Tsvangirai on the other hand has the support of most Western nations who are willing to pump in money into the country towards the restoration of the country but it is very difficult to trust him to be at the helm alone without someone to see to it that he is not made a puppet by his Western sponsors. Which is why a government of national unity is ideal but for it to be successful Mugabe and his corrupt cronies should not be given active roles in it and it shouldn't make them immune to judgement for their crimes against humanity in Gukurahundi and the recent Operation Makavhotera papi. If the GNU can include respected, trusted, ethical, professional, dignified people like Simba Makoni, Mutumwa Mawere etc, who can see to it that Tsvangirai's decisions concerning our country are not influenced by his Western sponsors to the extend that we become a puppet nation.

Question What is Mugabe's Zimbabwe denying theAnglo American Axis from having ? It is being reported that English and American agents are covertly funding Zimbabweans to repeat the process that they used successfully on Moḥammad Moṣaddeq, Prime Minister of Iran from 1951 to 1953 He was removed from power by a coup d'état. These tactics are: Anglo / USA agents entice week Zimbabweans to act as Mugabie supporters . while carrying out acts of oppression against all known members of the opposition in the form of. Bombing , murders, flog, in the name of the President, and his party British and Americans also used that strategy in , El Salvador and Iraq Their Agents operating in Iraq were killed hundreds of thousand of civilians fermenting sectarian violence Shias against Sunnies by blowing up mosques and killing shias and sunnis with "their death squads" (There are pictures on the web and on numerous Arab and Asian networks clearly show to be CAUCASIANS and BLACKS IN MASKS) This tactics was also successfully used in creating a coup in Iran. Bombing and murders were blamed on the President (Mosaddeq ). The Anglo /USA AXIS won that round and installed the Shah who promptly gave them the key to Irans oil fields

Many countries have gone through this tactic, uncooperative leaders were usually dispatched in one way or another. Here is how it works... US and England comes in, request a form of compliance from the Prey Country, should it refuse to cooperate,The country is squeezed economically by the use of( sanctions and trade restrictions)if that fails, destabilization in the form of phisical atrosities against important people and places,next leaders character assignation follows , then a coup-de-ta, then Assignation, then war preferably by a surrogate nation. If the load is to heavy for the Surrogate, The Anglo Axis will come in to do the Job. The prey Country,s leaders are replaced or killed

. Iraq Iran, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Paraguay, Venezuela, Panama Haiti, Congo et cetera (Read John Perkins, a former respected member of the international banking community. In his book _Confessions of an Economic Hit Man) www.johnperkins.org/ - 10k _

Then there is economic blackmail, another powerful weapon in their arsenal, using the IMF World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank Trade restrictions, the Seizing of National assets. All these tools used in consort to entrap countries in economic servitude The Anglo Saxon Diaspora also uses these tools to whip stubborn mavericks into line.in order to loot their Countries national and human resources

Can Mugabe's Zimbabwe survive the Anglo / American on slaught? Are Asian countries strong enough to come to the aid of the Old African Freedom Fighter Warrior Robert MugabeÂ’ and true patriotic Zimbabwean peoples The West has brutally abused Africa for Decades , now there is a new man in town who has come courting her. Answer

Why is Zimbabwe still afloat? Â…China Why the Anglo American axis is trying to stop Mugabe China

This article By HANY BESADA explains Special to Globe and Mail Update July 2, 2008 at 8:59 PM EDT How has Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe managed to avert a complete state collapse thus far? His disillusioned citizens are facing a new wave of price increases that will put the most basic of food essentials even further out of their reach. On the streets of Harare, a loaf of bread costs the equivalent of what a dozen new cars would have cost a decade ago (when factoring current consumer price indicators and inflation figures). With public wages largely unchanged, as many as three million Zimbabweans have been forced to take up menial jobs in neighbouring South Africa to support their families. Figures released by independent economists in Zimbabwe last week show that the annual inflation rate has reached 9 million per cent. With the worthless Zimbabwean dollar trading at more than one billion to £1, the country's central bank announced the introduction of a billion-dollar banknote. With a sinking economy and hyperinflation that has produced millionaires and billionaires struggling to feed their families, how is it that Zimbabwe is still afloat? One answer may be China. By many accounts, China has become one of Zimbabwe's most important foreign investors, following the exodus of Western multinationals in the mid-1990s as a result of the worsening political and security situation in the wake of the seizure of white-owned farms. Last month, China's ambassador to Zimbabwe said a Chinese company was seriously exploring the possibility of investing $500-million (U.S.) for electricity generation in Zimbabwe. This comes on the heels of discussions between the two countries on expanding bilateral trade and investments. In the past two years, China has thrown Zimbabwe's disintegrating economy a lifeline with energy and mining deals, reportedly worth more than $1.6-billion.

It was reported that these deals gave China access to Zimbabwe's precious mineral resources, including the world's second- largest deposits of platinum, as well as gold, chrome, coal, nickel and diamonds.

These major investment projects included the construction of three coal-fired thermal power stations to assist the state power company, which was cutting customers' electricity for seven hours a day.

It also included a deal with the China Machine-Building International Corp. to mine coal and build thermal-powered generators in Zimbabwe, with the aim of reducing the country's electricity shortage. Indeed, Beijing's economic support for Harare remains strong and, through its efforts, China has secured the contracts to develop Zimbabwe's agricultural, mineral and hydroelectric resources. Tobacco counts amongst Zimbabwe's top exports, and China is Zimbabwe's largest importer. China has made large investments in the country's tobacco production and processing industry, and also has injected more than $200-million into Zimbabwe's farming, manufacturing and mining sectors. China supplies Zimbabwe with expertise, technical assistance and agricultural equipment. Chinese investors also helped Zimbabwe process tobacco into cigarettes and export them as finished products. And investors and a local company undertook a joint venture in the form of a large cement factory in Gweru to meet the national demand for cement. Western analysts and Zimbabwean critics contend that Beijing will continue to support Harare unconditionally, while piling up various claims on Zimbabwe's natural resources and other commodities. With a lack of direct competition by Western firms in the local market, Zimbabwe will remain one of China's important resource bases. But Zimbabwe's fragile state is putting Beijing in an increasingly vulnerable situation, as Western condemnation of China's long-standing ties with the autocratic Mr. Mugabe is becoming increasingly more vocal. China's continued involvement in Zimbabwe, particularly in the agricultural and mining sectors, also carries significant sovereign risk – and Beijing is gambling it will be able to manage relations so as to guarantee its claims in what would almost certainly continue to be a chaotic transition period. Zimbabwe's socio-economic profile has undergone a seismic change. The growing importance of China in the country's economy is evidenced by economic assistance and foreign investment deals in the extractive sector, in state-owned enterprises and in the agricultural sector. The key to this is China's willingness to use barter trade to secure investment deals, and it appears as though China's motives are actually economic – namely, to satisfy its growing economic needs. A constructive engagement with China will have to be put in place, focusing on improving transparency in contracts, investment deals and loan agreements. This will be particularly critical in any post-Mugabe economic reconstruction period if ordinary Zimbabweans are to reap the full benefits of increased Chinese investments instead of only a current handful of political elite in Harare. Hany Besada is a senior researcher at the Centre for International Governance Innovation in Waterloo, Ont.

Thank you for standing for the few that still can see the second wave of colonisation befiore we are in even through with the first one! Thank you Mbeki and all committed African identity leaders.

Wow, the irony in your pseudonym name issinstitute is close to one the most reputable institute in Southern Africa, First of all Morgan's credentials and abilities as a leader are not on trial here, its Mugabe ruling style. Frankly even if Morgan was a puppet to the west, He's the only one with enough power (active or reactive) to stop Mugabe’s Madness. What he does thereafter will be a question of his leadership at his own time, here and now Morgan has more powers than Mbeki, AU, SADC and probably the UN to topple Mugabe.

And I think by withdrawing from the "joke" of an election Morgan demonstrated the kind of leader emerging in Zimbabwe. For the Fact that 27 June went beyond winning an election for Morgan makes him 100 times more a leader than Mugabe will ever be, his non-violent shows how he values the human life. The liberations wars in Africa were fought mostly on Human life and that has carried us to here and now and its damm scary place to be, it is clear violence based democracy are not the way forward.

I can actually say- Morgan can afford to be placed in the same plug-card as Nelson Mandela.

You are right that Tsvangirai is the only Zimbabwean who was brave enough to form a party to oppose Mugabe's ZanuPF, which is why most Zimbabweans support him, but even though we support him that won't stop us from pointing out where we think he fails short. For you to then say, " Morgan's credentials and abilities as a leader are not on trial here, its Mugabe ruling style", is very inappropriate because we are talking about Zimbabwe here and we are not putting anyone on trial. You see the problem with Africans is that if they support a leader they prefer to turn a blind eye, a deaf ear and a loyal mind to him irrespective of where he goes wrong and it is that tendency that has seen Africa nurturing puppets and dictators without effective opposition from those they rule. For you to say what Tsvangirai does when he gets in power is irrelevant for now is not proper because the time to tell him about his shortcomings and our fears is now before he gets into power because once he gets into power he won't listen to us. I also find it unbelievable that you are shrugging being a puppet to the West as something unimportant as long as he can oust Mugabe, that reflects so badly on you as a person. Yes we want Mugabe out of power but we also don't want to be a puppet nation and we want Tsvangirai to get that message very clearly.

hope the truth does not change. God judges the motives, may our leaders do as them assigned by God to rule with fear and revelance to God especially for innocent and defenceless people

hope the truth does not change and God judges the motives. May our leaders do as assigned by God to rule with fear and giving reverance to God especially for innocent and defenceless people.may everyone know that we are accountable to God for every deed.

Well mugabe has got himself in a huge amount of trouble with God then. mugabe must be one of the best mates the devil has.