15 May 2008
Ndola — SOUTHERN African Development Community (SADC) chairman, Levy Mwanawasa has said the regional grouping will not use force to solve the problems being faced by Zimbabwe.
President Mwanawasa said SADC would not use force as that would only affect the ordinary Zimbabweans.
Addressing journalists at State House in Lusaka yesterday, Dr Mwanawasa said the SADC would also not expel Zimbabwe from the grouping.
He said SADC would not fall in the same trap as that of the Commonwealth when it expelled Zimbabwe from the organisation.
He said ultimately it was Britain which lost out when Zimbabwe was expelled from the Commonwealth as it could not now effectively participate in the affairs of that country.
"We are not going to fall in the same trap. Zimbabwe will continue to be a member and a child of SADC. When a child makes a mistake, you cannot disown him. We are not going to use force or arms because the people who will suffer are ordinary Zimbabweans," he said.
Dr Mwanawasa said SADC had taken a very critical initiative to sort out the impasse that had befallen Zimbabwe after it went to the polls in March.
He said the greatest initiative was the extra-ordinary summit, which was held in Lusaka in April to discuss the way forward after the electoral impasse in Zimbabwe.
He said a communiqué was issued on how SADC wanted the results to be announced and what was to be done in case of a run-off.
Dr Mwanawasa said the grouping was persuading Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) president, Morgan Tsvangirai to contest the run-off.
Dr Mwanawasa said Mr Tsvangirai was for the idea of the run-off, but insisted that the elections be conducted in an environment where there was the rule of law.
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