Financial Gazette (Harare)
Dumisani Ndlela and Brian Mangwende
21 November 2003
Harare — THE issue of Zimbabwe's invitation to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Abuja looked set to widen the split within the Commonwealth grouping, with sources indicating that Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo was under pressure from African colleagues to send an invitation to President Robert Mugabe.
President Obasanjo was in Zimbabwe this week and held discussions with President Mugabe and opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Morgan Tsvangirai in what MDC insiders said was a plot to push his colleagues' plan for President Mugabe's inclusion at the CHOGM to be hosted by Nigeria next month.
"Even the president (Morgan Tsvangirai) was not clear about the agenda of Obasanjo's visit to Zimbabwe. We have a feeling that he is trying to push an agenda for Mugabe's inclusion at CHOGM by displaying a modicum of generosity through his visit to Zimbabwe," the MDC insider said.
"He wants to create an impression that he is concerned, was on the ground and that there is progress in finding a solution to the country's crisis between the MDC and the ruling party," the MDC insider said.
Tsvangirai sounded unenthusiastic about President Obasanjo's visit when contacted by The Financial Gazette this week.
"He (Obasanjo) should tell you what he came here for and what he achieved," Tsvangirai said. "It's not for me to say anything (about his visit)."
Giving a cue on Presidents Mugabe and Obasanjo's discussions during the Nigerian head of state's visit, Foreign Affairs Minister Stan Mudenge said in a ministerial statement to parliament that Zimbabwe was entitled to go to Abuja for the CHOGM.
"It is now up to the member states to rally behind Nigeria so as to make it possible for the country to live up to its duties and obligations as the CHOGM host to invite all members entitled by the rules to attend, and that includes Zimbabwe," Mudenge said.
Zimbabwe was suspended from the Commonwealth grouping of mainly former British colonies in March 2002 for a period of 12 months on allegations that President Mugabe had stolen the poll from MDC leader Tsvangirai during the 2002 Presidential election.
Mugabe's government was also accused of human rights abuses and the breakdown in the rule of law and was ordered to restore these and fulfill three other benchmark requirements before being re-admitted into the grouping.
The government of Zimbabwe must first achieve national reconciliation and dialogue before being re-admitted.
President Obasanjo's visit to Zimbabwe, which critics said was evidently designed to create an impression that things where moving in Zimbabwe in terms of dialogue between the ruling ZANU PF and the MDC, has already created discomfort among opponents of Zimbabwe's re-admission, who say there is still a flagrant disregard of the rule of law, human rights abuses and the harassment of civil society and opposition party members.
The British Foreign Office Minister, Chris Mullin, this week told a highly charged parliament that the suspension of Zimbabwe would remain in place and would be discussed at the Abuja meeting.
"I am very sorry to say that there has been little progress towards meeting any of those benchmarks or the Commonwealth's Harare principles for good governance. There has been no formal dialogue between the ruling party and the opposition . . . attacks on the opposition, independent media and civil society continue . . . we see no justification for re-admitting Zimbabwe to the Commonwealth," Mullin said.
There have been muted suggestion in Australia that Prime Minister John Howard, a vigorous opponent to Zimbabwe's re-admission, might boycott CHOGM if President Mugabe is invited.
Howard forms part of the troika including President Obasanjo and South African President Thabo Mbeki that was tasked with assessing Zimbabwe's compliance with Commonwealth benchmark requirements before being readmitted.
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