19 September 2008
Haile Menkerios, Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs, briefed Security Council members on the details of the deal, signed in Harare on Monday, which aims to end the political crisis that has gripped the Southern African country since the first round of national elections in March.
"This is a delicate compromise," Mr. Menkerios later told reporters, stressing that the accord between President Robert Mugabe and opposition leaders Morgan Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara is not designed to immediately solve all of Zimbabwe's problems.
Zimbabwe's economic recovery will take time, he said, and international donors must remain engaged to help the country back on its feet, especially in priority areas such as agriculture, health care, and water and sanitation.
But the Assistant Secretary-General said he was confident that the main political forces in Zimbabwe can reach a compromise on the outstanding issues left remaining after the agreement.
He also said that the deal, even though it will be painful to fully implement, offers thousands of ordinary Zimbabweans the chance for a much better life.
Mr. Menkerios served as the UN representative on a reference group backing the efforts of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to mediate between Zimbabwe's political forces, and he attended Monday's signing of the agreement.
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