Wongai Zhangazha
1 August 2008
LIFTING of sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe, addressing the land question and restoring the rule of law are some of the challenges a government to come out of the on-going talks for a negotiated political settlement to the country's decade-long crisis between Zanu PF and the MDC will face.
The agenda of the talks being facilitated by South African President Thabo Mbeki has a number of issues the protagonists should find solutions to before the negotiations' August 4 deadline.
These include the rule of law, which implies the need to stop the prevailing culture of violence and impunity, upholding property rights and free political activity, and reforming state organs and institutions.
Many of the state institutions have been militarised and the army is now interfering with civilian affairs to the extent of threatening to refuse to salute elected officials.
Respecting the principle of the separation of powers, including an end to interference in the judiciary, would be a major challenge for the new government.
The new government would also have to address the chaotic land reform programme which has sabotaged agriculture and precipitated the current economic meltdown, while spawning starvation.
The new government would also have to stop the persecution of political opponents, ethnic minorities and other weaker groups which have borne the brunt of state brutality for years. Zimbabwe has been plagued by repression, violence and corruption since 1980.
The sanctions by the United States and the European Union are linked to these issues and they would be difficult to remove unless underlying problems are first addressed.
Political analysts argued that it would be difficult for sanctions imposed by the United States, Britain and European Union to be lifted overnight even if a political solution to the crisis is found.
Sanctions, especially those imposed by the US, would take longer to be removed because they were imposed by Congress through the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act of 2001. The Act would have to be repealed, the analysts said.
In the memorandum of understanding signed between Zanu PF and the two formations of the MDC, the parties agreed to find solutions aimed at restoring economic stability, revisiting the land question, and promoting equality, national healing and the rule of law.
They also agreed to find a solution on how to deal with institutional reforms, among them the demilitarisation of parastatals and government departments.
Most of the issues on the agenda, analysts observed, would take a long time to deal with.
Meanwhile, the Morgan Tsvangirai-led MDC has denied instigating the imposition of US sanctions on 17 Zimbabwean entities propping up President Robert Mugabe's government arguing that the matter was a bilateral issue between the southern African nation and the super power.
The US last week slammed Zimbabwean companies with sanctions, among them parastatals, linked to Mugabe's regime.
Acting MDC spokesperson Tapiwa Mashakada said his party neither played a role in the imposition of the sanctions nor benefited from them despite Zanu PF accusations that they were behind the embargoes.
Tsvangirai however has been on record as supporting targeted sanctions against top Zanu PF officials and supporters.
Mashakada said: "The MDC is a political party and the sanctions are a government to government affair. The MDC has nothing to do with that, the sanctions are a dispute between two independent governments and it's up to them to solve the disputes.
"If we were in government we would have a say in as far as sanctions are concerned, but we are not. Zanu PF has blamed us on the sanctions but that is just propaganda."
He said instead of looking at the sanctions, people should think broader and find out why they were imposed.
"The debate should focus at the causes of the sanctions. These need to be looked at and solved. We are not beneficiaries of the sanctions but we want to be beneficiaries of a functional government."
US President George Bush last Friday signed a new Executive Order that expanded sanctions against the "illegitimate government" of Zimbabwe which he said perpetrated politically-motivated violence.
The US passed a sanctions law on the country in 2001, the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act (ZIDERA).
The objectives of the ZIDERA were to support the people of Zimbabwe in their struggle to effect peaceful democratic change, to achieve broad-based and equitable economic growth and restore rule of law.
The Zimbabwe government argued that the sanctions were hurting ordinary people and were meant to effect regime change in the country. US ambassador to Zimbabwe James McGee this week said the US had nothing against the ordinary people and that the recent sanctions were meant to force Mugabe to respect the will of voters as expressed in the March 29 elections.
Tsvangirai out-polled Mugabe in the presidential election but failed to garner the required votes to assume the presidency.
The opposition leader withdrew from a presidential run-off that was set for June 27 in protest at escalating political violence against his supporters, but the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission went ahead with the poll arguing that his pull-out had no legal effect.
"Ordinary Zimbabweans clearly stated a desire for change in the March 29 elections and the US wants to see the will of the Zimbabwean people respected," McGee said in written responses to questions from the Zimbabwe Independent. "Pursuant to that goal we have sanctioned those people responsible for thwarting the will of ordinary Zimbabweans."
McGee said the new sanctions built upon existing embargoes put into force in 2001 and 2003 against more than 100 individuals in the inner-circle of the Zimbabwe government who have contributed to the undermining of democratic processes and institutions in the country.
"These are targeted sanctions that focus on the regime and its supporters not on the people of Zimbabwe or the broader economy. American businesses are free to do business with any Zimbabwean, individuals or companies that are not on the sanctions list," McGee said.
"The US is committed to provide humanitarian assistance for as long as it is needed by the people of Zimbabwe," he said. "In addition to this assistance, the US government committed up to $2,5 million from the US emergency refugee and migration assistance fund to assist Zimbabwean refugees and asylum seekers who have been displaced due to the ongoing violence in the country."
The 17 entities designated on July 25 by the US Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (Ofac) include the Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe, the Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation, the Zimbabwe Iron and Steel Company, the Agricultural Development Bank of Zimbabwe, the Industrial Development Corporation of Zimbabwe Ltd, the Infrastructure Development Bank of Zimbabwe, Zimre Holdings Ltd, ZB Financial Holdings Ltd, ZB Bank Ltd, Intermarket Holdings Ltd, and Scotfin Ltd, among others.
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The Berlin Conference (German: Kongokonferenz or "Congo Conference") of 1884–85 regulated European colonization and trade in Africa during the New Imperialism period, and coincided with Germany's sudden emergence as an imperial power. Called for by Portugal and organized by Otto von Bismarck, the first Chancellor of Germany, its outcome, the General Act of the Berlin Conference, is often seen as the formalization of the Scramble for Africa. The conference ushered in a period of heightened colonial activity on the part of the European powers, while simultaneously eliminating most existing forms of African autonomy and self-governance.
Early history of the conference In the 1880s, European interest in Africa increased dramatically. Henry Morton Stanley's discovery of the Congo River Basin (1874–1877) removed the last bit of terra incognita from the maps of the continent. In 1878, King Léopold II of Belgium, who had previously founded the International African Society in 1876, invited Stanley to join him. The International African Society had the goal of researching and "civilizing" the continent. In 1878, the International Congo Society was also formed, having more economic goals, but still closely related to the former society. Léopold secretly bought off the foreign investors in the Congo Society, which was turned to imperialistic goals, with the African Society serving primarily as a philanthropic front.
From 1879 to 1884, Stanley returned to the Congo, this time not as a reporter, but as an envoy from Léopold with the secret mission to organize a Congo state, which would become known as the Congo Free State. At the same time, the French marine officer Pierre de Brazza traveled into the western Congo basin and raised the French flag over the newly-founded Brazzaville in 1881, in what is currently the Republic of Congo. Portugal, which also claimed the area due to old treates with the Kongo Empire, made a treaty with the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland on February 26, 1884 to block off the Congo Society's access to the Atlantic.
At the same time, various European countries tried to get a foothold in Africa. France occupied Tunisia and today's Republic of the Congo in 1881 — which partly convinced Italy to become part of the Triple Alliance — and Guinea in 1884. In 1882, the United Kingdom occupied the nominally Ottoman Egypt, which in turn ruled over the Sudan and Somaliland.
Portugal - Britain The Portuguese Government presented a project known as the "Pink Map" in which the colonies of Angola and Mozambique were united. All the countries but United Kingdom agreed with this project. In 1890 the British Government, in breach of the Treaty of Windsor and of the Treaty of Berlin itself,[citation needed] launched an ultimatum forcing the Portuguese to withdraw from this area. France - Britain A line running from Say in Niger to Baroua, on the north-east coast of Lake Chad determined what part belonged to whom. France would own territory to the north of this line, and the United Kingdom would own territory to the south of it. The Nile Basin would be British, with the French taking the basin of Lake Chad. Furthermore, between the 11th and 15th degrees longitude, the border would pass between Ouaddaï, which would be French, and Darfur in Sudan, to be British. In reality, a no man's land 200 kilometres wide was put in place between the 21st and 23rd meridian. France - Germany The area to the north of a line formed by the intersection of the 14th meridian and Miltou was designated French, that to the south being German. Britain - Germany The separation came in the form of a line passing through Yola, on the Benoué, Dikoa, going up to the extremity of Lake Chad. France - Italy Italy was to own what lies north of a line from the intersection of the Tropic of Cancer and the 17th meridian to the intersection of the 15th parallel and 21st meridian.
Consequences European claims in Africa, 1914The Scramble for Africa sped up after the Conference, since even within areas designated as their sphere of influence, the European powers still had to take possession under the Principle of Effectivity. In central Africa in particular, expeditions were dispatched to coerce traditional rulers into signing treaties, using force if necessary, as for example in the case of Msiri, King of Katanga, in 1891.
Within a few years, Africa was at least nominally divided up south of the Sahara. By 1895, the only independent states were:
Liberia, founded with the support of the USA for returned slaves; Abyssinia (Ethiopia), the only free native state, which fended off Italian invasion from Eritrea in what is known as the first Italo-Abyssinian War of 1889-1896. The following states lost their independence to the British Empire roughly a decade after (see below for more information):
Orange Free State, a Boer republic founded by Dutch settlers; South African Republic (Transvaal), also a Boer republic; By 1902, 90% of all the land that makes up Africa was under European control. The large part of the Sahara was French, while after the quelling of the Mahdi rebellion and the ending of the Fashoda crisis, the Sudan remained firmly under joint British–Egyptian rulership.
The Boer republics were conquered by the United Kingdom in the Boer war from 1899 to 1902. Morocco was divided between the French and Spanish in 1911, and Libya was conquered by Italy in 1912. The official British annexation of Egypt in 1914 ended the colonial division of Africa. By this point, all of Africa, with the exceptions of Liberia and Ethiopia, was under European rule.
All laws, treaties, institutions are created to curtail Africa and strengthen the framers of the laws. The concerns are not real, for the NGOs should be scrambling to go to somalia, DRC, Uganda and Darfur. Zimbabwe is a stumbling block from taking all African resources, because Mugabe has seen all their moves, as its age and experience which we should listen too, here.
Gosh...this is news to me. I did not know people could live that long...!!! Bush, chaney, Blair and Brown are over 400years old according to our scribe here who cant even spell the word Demon. Its no wonder you believe the tripe you have been fed..you are thick as hell!
Woosh!no sanctions.Mr Turnex thank you for that terrible word (tripe).I notice you forgot to (cap......)Chaney who is still feeding that
Woops!Thank you Turnex,don't be upset with me. I notice you did not (cap...)our Vice President Dick Chaney's NAME. You must learn to give more respect . No sanctions,violence,or returning your own land back to the demons,Never again.Here in America we are still fighting all over the world to keep people like you from feeding us tripe.Remember the American Natives and Zimbabwe. Always, Oweij Liebo USA.
decipher this tripe please?? what were you smoking prior to accessing your pc??
Northa4ever: Keep writing ,we love it here in America and in Zimbabwe.I just hope President Mugabe can get his people and the MDC to see the scheme and plot that the Demons Quartet,Chaney,Bush, Blair and Brown is planning against the Africans.Remember Africans do not manufacture anything. Their wealth is controlled by the former colonizers,they live on the crumbs.In America we work for a United States of Africa,all 53 states I hope someday can be ONE.That day we can mfg.airplanes,cars,ships,weapons,hospitals,schools, and have good relationship with all the other countries in the world, not just USA./BRIT .etc....Right now, only Mugabe has that clear,clear,clear,vesion and I hope he can pass it on to the next future younger Robert Gabriel Mugabe or Morgan Tsvangirai,but keep Mugabe's verion alive. In the USA we are paying $4 a gal. plus for gas because George Bush attacked another country wrongfully and killed the leader and many,many ,many,women and children.Jesus our Lord will not forget that .Peace,Oweij Liebo /America
Leviboone, you are just one confused ba-boone. For starters, you do not manufacture hospitals and schools. You are obviously one of those people who have fled their country to find a haven in the United states of America, and now that you are drunk on its nectar you are talking big and all so praising Mugabe. Why did you not flee to Zimbabwe or better still, why do you not leave America and go and live in Zimbabwe instead? Because you know full well that Mugabe is just another ba-boone, a has-been, and only now begging another man to come and bail him out and teach him how to govern a country properly because his country is nothing but a pile of horse pucky. The only vision Mugabe has is where he is going to bury his next MDC victim. As for Africa, if it cannot get along on tribal grounds alone, where do you think it will unite its states? Dream on. The only way Africa can ever begin to manufacture airplanes etc, is if some of its leaders have their long fingers chopped off. Pity Mugabe's are still intact.
Krjs120, you just another white stupid anglo person. Low IQ, and all the white anglo criminals from UK were sent to Southern Africa. This inbred white anglo community has created a bustard, confused hybrid anglo stupids!
See all comments (14).
It's that Deamon Quartet that's interfering with (ZIM.) business.(Chaney,Bush,Blair,and Brown.They are the people who want Sanctions etc.They took all they wanted and are still punishing my people there.Here living in America I'm very hurt.Since 1619 Africans here know how you all feel there.Our president with his Deamon trio invaded another country,KILL the leader,and anything that moved,. WOMEN, CHILDREN,ETC.Now they want to tell Magabe,Tsvangirai and Mbeka how to run things there after they got a 400 years start ahead of them .All people of color need to remember, just read that (Oslo Accord).The British Mandate against the land of the Arabs.Not the Damons land!,but Arabs and voted to give it to Isreal.Here in America we love Isreal and Africa.We here have fought and are still fighting for both.They Both are Unjust.Our president still Can't find those weapons Of MASS-D.Not yet.Gas and Oil is high because of it.We are praying that Jesus take that Group SOON.USA. Oweij Liebo