Tonderai Kwidini
19 May 2008
Harare — Zimbabwe, which is in a political and financial tailspin, has missed out on an opportunity to save some of its tattered international reputation. The Common Market for East and Southern Africa's (COMESA) 13th summit would have taken place in the country's north-eastern resort town of Victoria Falls but has been postponed indefinitely.
The COMESA secretariat in Zambia issued a communiqué on May 15 advising member states on the postponement of the summit of heads of state.
This announcement was overdue as the summit was originally planned to start on May 1. After the ruling ZANU-PF lost the recent parliamentary elections, the results of the presidential election were withheld and state violence engulfed the country.
The secretariat said in a statement, "following consultations between the government of Zimbabwe and the COMESA secretariat, it has now been agreed that the meetings, which were scheduled to be held from May 1 to 15, 2008 in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, be postponed to a date to be announced later."
The secretariat explained its decision by saying it wanted to give the troubled southern African country time to conclude an electoral process on June 27 when a much-anticipated presidential run-off will be held. It made no reference to moving the summit to another country.
However, this development flies in the face of the ZANU-PF government's interpretation of the decision that Zimbabwe should host the 13th summit.
"No amount of demonisation by western countries, which are on a relentless campaign to isolate Zimbabwe, will influence decisions of bodies like COMESA," said Zimbabwe's foreign affairs minister, Simbarashe Mumbengegwi, said when the selection was made public.
"The postponement is a statement of no confidence in Zimbabwe," Harare-based economic analyst John Robertson told IPS. It serves as a another bad sign for the country after it hosted a dismal trade fair last month which failed to attract attention from rich countries.
The summit in Victoria Falls was supposed to discuss the consolidation of a regional free trade area; progress on the economic partnership agreements (EPA) negotiations with the European Union (EU); and peace and security in the bloc. Regarding the latter, Zimbabwe would have been an automatic topic.
The summit was also expected to have discussed the possibilities of putting in place a customs union by the end of this year to promote regional trade and investment.
A business leaders' forum would have been run alongside the summit. More than 500 business leaders were expected from COMESA member states.
The business forum was presented as an opportunity for the COMESA business community to meet and discuss issues of common interest regarding the strengthening, deepening and expansion of trade and investment in the region.
The summit was also touted as an opportunity for Zimbabwe to show a different side to the world as it has been in the international spotlight for all the wrong reasons.
"It is good that Zimbabwe is hosting the 13th edition of the summit. This is time for you to showcase your country," said the COMESA secretariat's head of administration, Victoria Mwewa, last year when she had reviewed the country's preparedness to host the gigantic forum.
The Zimbabwe Competition and Tariff Commission agreed with Mwewa's view, saying the summit might have helped the country's industry to boost its profile. "This event would have allowed players in the industry to boost their export base and penetrate new markets as local products are in great demand throughout the region," Alexander Kabuda, the commission's director, told IPS.
Bulawayo-based economist Eric Bloc concurred with Kabuda, adding that Zimbabwe would have been afforded an opportunity to showcase its products and services in the tourism industry.
An economic analyst at the University of Zimbabwe said that, "while Zimbabwe's competitiveness has been reduced significantly in the last seven years, it is capable of regaining equal or higher competitiveness than its regional partners in COMESA, if the situation improves". The analyst spoke on condition of anonymity.
Zimbabwe currently holds the vice-chairpersonship of the regional body and was expected to assume the reins after the summit. This might change if the political tables are turned after the presidential run-off election, which is likely to be won by the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Morgan Tsvangirai.
The MDC had been against taking on such huge commitments because of the financial requirements which it argues Zimbabwe can't afford at a time when it is faced with a collapsing economy.
The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa seeks to promote regional economic integration through trade and investment. It currently boasts 19 member countries, which represent a market of 319 million inhabitants. Total trade between member countries adds up to about 159 billion dollars per year and total exports amount to 82 billion dollars per year.
The regional body has a gross domestic product of 275 billion dollars a year.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 Inter Press Service. 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.
