16 April 2008
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is expected on Wednesday to ask members of the Security Council – chaired this month by South Africa – to step up pressure for the speedy release of Zimbabwe's election results.
According to a transcript of remarks released by the UN, Ban told journalists in New York on Tuesday that a high-level meeting between the UN and the African Union, to be held at the UN on Wednesday, provided a "natural opportunity" to address the situation in Zimbabwe.
The meeting will be chaired by President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa. Prime Minister Gordon Brown of Britain will be among the heads of government attending. Also on Tuesday, Ban's spokeswoman said he had discussed Zimbabwe with President George W. Bush of the United States earlier in the day.
Ban said he would discuss on Wednesday how the UN and the international community "could help the Zimbabwean people and authorities to resolve this issue to the satisfaction and expectation of the international community."
He added: "We need really to see, first of all, very transparent and expeditious release of election results, so that the Zimbabwean people will be able to enjoy the democratic process, and also they should be able to overcome these serious humanitarian difficulties."
The UN-AU meeting will deal with peace and security in Africa. Ban said Darfur and Somalia would also be on the agenda. The South African government statement announcing Mbeki's visit to New York mentions Sudan and Western Sahara, but not Zimbabwe.
Read comments. Write your own.
Copyright © 2008 allAfrica.com. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
Sometimes i wonder if the UN is really that powerful or influential when coming to the African agenda, especially Zimbabwe. To me they're as powerful as me, the man on the street. What they'll do is add more noise to the chorus with no action whatsoever and President Mugabe will just look the other way, besides he got his SADC 'brothers' on his side and I bet President Mbeki will surely oppose any tough stance the UN might want to take....but we shall wait i guess
Dear all, In fact all of them SADC, AU, and UN leaders are Insensitive, sadistic mugs of this century. They swimm in huge salaries and allowances but have failed miserably. They have one closed door meeting after another but achieve nothing. THE UN SHOULD BE DISBANDED!!!!!! The list of failures is too long, Somalia, Darfur, Kenya, Congo DRC, Iraq, Afghastan and God knows who next. Poverty levels are on the rise in the World. You cannot watch a lunatic killing people and you do nothing under the guise of non-interference in internal affairs. IF the UN cannot protect human… [Read Full Text]
Please Un do something I abeg. I am a middle aged woman and have been in Zimbabwe since Mugabe was put to power, I have lives deterirating by the day under rule. He has stollen many elections and please at the moment we have a crisis our relative are being killed at night by the Government sponsored thugs becuase of voting for the opposition. MDC won please assist sdo that the hraming and killing of poeple stops . Please Head of UN I Beg as a mother in Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe is suffring, Tambo Mbeki is a sell out and all africans knows is real face. Mbeki we hope you could be like Mandela, Shame on you and Mugabe, you to old and free your people, natural in the next 6 month will take care of you and you will end like Mobutu from Congo DRC. afrohollywoodtv.com. I am not from Zimbabwe but I feel so sorry that once again the world turn ablind eye on the suffring of African. Where is this moron of Bush to save democracy like He did in Irak....aaaah Kienge Omar JL. Bring them… [Read Full Text]
It is obvious that Zimbabweans want a democracy in their country. The MDC recorded just under 50% of the votes, obviously not precise since the actual results are being kept hidden for who knows how long. I would say they will be kept hidden aslong as Mugabe wants them to be. He is the "leader" of "his" country. He sure does show great allegiance to "his" country albeit scamming "his" people of their chance to speak up. Dont worry everyone else, once Mugabe has torched and battered "his" country and people the results will be… [Read Full Text]
Stephen, Dont be fooled by what your western media is saying. There are two sides to a story and Zimbabwe IS a democratic state. Yesterday the MDC called for a general strike and on one turned up. What a joke! If the people of Zimbabwe really wanted change they would have come out in there millions. Mugabe's so called 'thugs' would not be able to stop millions on the street. Not everybody in Zimbabwe thinks Mugabe is wrong you know.
If Mugabe had won the elections, why this long delay in announcing the results?
The MDC can't protect people's lives and property and nothing is gained by joining a strike and then being beaten or shot to death. The people know that neither South Africa nor the SADC will lift a finger to help them if it means going against Mugabe.
28 years ago, Zimbabwe was the jewel of Africa. Today it's condition is too bleak to describe. I have friends - black, local Shona friends - who told me how the so-called war vets (kids who couldn't… [Read Full Text]
In following the recent events of Zimbabwe's evolution - or dissolution to be precise - I've come to a few conclusions:
1. Africa's leaders - especially those within the SADC - are so frozen in time that the only thing of relevance is freedom from colonial rule. The complete destruction of a proud and once prosperous neighbour is less important than the fact that Mugabe won "freedom" for his people. A Zimbabwean friend told me of a comment made by one of his friends remaining in Zimbabwe. "If this is freedom, please return me to slavery."… [Read Full Text]