Published by the government of Zimbabwe
Mabasa Sasa
16 July 2009
Sharm El-Sheikh — PRESIDENT Mugabe has challenged the Non-Aligned Movement to assess its relevance and lead the process of reforming multilateral financial lending institutions and the United Nations in pursuit of a more equitable global order.
Addressing the plenary session of the NAM Heads of State and Government Summit that opened here yesterday, President Mugabe said Western interference in the domestic affairs of smaller nations was on the increase and it was time the developing world used its numerical advantage to institute changes in international relations.
He said it was his hope that the Bretton Woods institutions would soon be brought under the control of the United Nations General Assembly for the sake of fairness in the manner in which the IMF and World Bank deal with developing countries.
"The Movement cannot afford a business-as-usual approach. Hard questions beckon we need to go beyond the current practice of debates and the adoption of action plans that rarely see the light of day.
"Our clear and present challenge is a timeous, effective and unapologetic responsibility of delivering a just, peaceful and equitable world order.
"The Non-Aligned Movement faces renewed attempts by some Western countries to interfere in the internal affairs of NAM member countries. This 'big brother is watching' state of affairs is a grave danger to international peace and security.
"The severity of the machinations by the Western world has often manifested itself in a number of ways, including the use of surreptitious and illegal attempts by some Western countries to abuse the UN Security Council to unjustly punish developing countries through the imposition of illegal and unilateral sanctions, and other intimidatory measures," he said.
President Mugabe said Zimbabwe "was a target of these abhorrent machinations" and it was imperative that the entire UN system be reformed and democratised.
"We need to recognise that for as long as the UN retains its present form, it will continue to be abused by the mighty, haughty and militarily powerful to victimise the smaller and weaker nations.
"The international financial system, symbolised by the Bretton Woods institutions in particular, is similarly in dire need of reform," he said.
He said the fact that the global economic crisis had originated in the West demonstrated that these countries could not be trusted to oversee the international financial system.
"I am glad that the high-level meeting on global financial and economic crisis that was recently held at the United Nations headquarters in New York recommended that these institutions (IMF and World Bank) be put under the control of the UN General Assembly.
"This would no doubt make them more accountable and responsive to the needs of the majority of UN members, including developing countries."
President Mugabe pointed out that while the financial crisis started in the West, its effects were most keenly felt in developing countries where there was depressed demand for products, company closures, heightened unemployment and deepening poverty.
As a result, he said, many NAM members were unlikely to meet the Millennium Development Goals.
He said while NAM should pursue development collaborations with everyone, it was in South-South co-operation where real salvation lay because the West sought to divide and weaken developing countries through instruments such as economic partnership agreements.
"The EPAs are threatening our various regional economic integration, thus weakening and eroding the collective negotiating and bargaining positions which we have traditionally held."
President Mugabe briefed his fellow leaders on
political developments in the country that led to the formation of the inclusive Government and assured them that the principals of the three parties to the arrangement were committed to making it work.
He, however, said sanctions continued to mitigate against progress, while thanking Sadc, the African Union and NAM for their support for the country.
"They (the West) are still bent on their goal of effecting regime change in my country. We count on your continued solidarity and support in our endeavour to improve the quality of life of our people."
He warned Britain and the United States of America to steer clear of Zimbabwe's internal issues, saying democracy did not work when outsiders subverted the will of indigenous peoples.
On the issue of nuclear proliferation, President Mugabe questioned why countries like North Korea were vilified for developing arms and yet other countries had large stockpiles of the weapons.
He said Zimbabwe's position was that not only should countries limit their nuclear capability, but they should in fact totally disarm.
The President reiterated his Government's unwavering support for the people of Palestine and called on Israel to stop the crimes against humanity it was committing in the Middle East.
He expressed his gratitude to NAM members for their co-operation during Zimbabwe's chairmanship of the just-ended Third Preparatory Conference for the 2010 Review of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
President Mugabe congratulated his Egyptian counterpart Hosni Mubarak on assuming the chairmanship of NAM and assured him that Zimbabwe would support him fully, while thanking Cuba's Cde Raul Castro for his sterling work during his leadership of the bloc.
The XV NAM Summit is being held under the theme "International Solidarity for Peace and Development" and ends today.
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I wonder if it even occurred to Mugabe that if he is genuinely serious about reforming the IMF and WB, it would have been far better had he left it to another country to raise the matter. After all, Zimababwe owes $4 billion to these organisations and is the only country in the history of these organisations to remain long term in arrears. The message would be far more creditable coming from almost any other country but Zimbabwe. I think that Mugabe simply cannot resist the limelight and that the message is in fact secondary to this.
Nowadays Mugabe talks but only his fools listen to him. The man rules his country without equity and yet talks of " a more equitable global order." Is he blind to his own madness as senility is stepping in or is he just barking nonsense to be heard and reported upon for the benefit of the stupid Herald?
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what a moron Mugape is? Does he want to reform these institutions so that he can steal and plunder from them too? That will be the day. Doesnt he understand economics, obviously not. Must have got his degrees from the zanupf lucky packet, or the fact that he so senile or his brain riddled with syph that he cant see his own demise just over the horizon. Senile dementia comes to mind, what a withered foolish tick he is. He should be squashed underfoot.! Wake up zimbos our country needs to remove this fool once and forever!
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