Zimbabwe: Nigeria, South Africa Favour ‘Constructive Engagement’ with Zimbabwe

7 February 2003
allAfrica.com
By Ofeibea Quist-Arcton

Pretoria — Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo said Friday he preferred a policy of ‘constructive engagement’ and effective diplomacy, rather than ‘antagonism’ towards Zimbabwe, where he plans to visit on Saturday.

Obasanjo was speaking in the South African capital, Pretoria, after talks with President Thabo Mbeki on the first day of a two-day state visit.

Obasanjo and Mbeki, with the Australian prime minister John Howard, form a troika set up by the Commonwealth in March last year to monitor developments in Zimbabwe. This followed elections in 2002 deemed deeply flawed by the 54-nation organisation, Western poll monitors and regional parliamentarians.

South African election observers called the poll 'legitimate'. The opposition in Zimbabwe said President Robert Mugabe had rigged the ballot and stolen the election.

The Commonwealth slapped sanctions on Mugabe and suspended Zimbabwe from its policy- and decision-making councils for a year. The disputed poll returned the veteran Zimbabwean leader to power, after 21 years in office.

The European Union (EU) and the United States followed the Commonwealth embargo with personal 'smart sanctions' against Mugabe, his wife, Grace, and other leading officials of his Zanu-PF government. Brussels and Washington pointed to the problematic election and increasingly authoritarian leadership of Mugabe as reasons for imposing visa restrictions and a travel ban to Europe and America. A decision was also taken to freeze their assets.

The Nigerian and South African presidents are arguably the most influential on the continent, and widely seen as best placed to influence Mugabe and the worsening situation in Zimbabwe. Obasanjo heads the most populous African nation, which is also the leading oil producer, while Mbeki’s South Africa has the richest and most developed economy.

The Commonwealth troika must review the embargo and recommend whether sanctions against Zimbabwe should be renewed, lifted or modified - by a March 19 deadline.

Obasanjo’s visit to Harare - preceded by earlier talks between Mbeki and Mugabe at an African Union summit in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, earlier this week - are a prelude to a troika summit next month, said Commonwealth sources.

At a joint news conference with Mbeki in Pretoria, Friday, Obasanjo confirmed that he would be flying to Zimbabwe, Saturday, where he pledged to hold frank talks with Mugabe.

Zimbabwe has been in the grip of drought, political turmoil and economic collapse for months, with international condemnation of Mugabe’s contested land distribution policy.

"If there are points to be raised in Zimbabwe, like brothers we put ourselves into a room, we lock the door and we tell ourselves the truth," said the Nigerian leader, adding that he preferred not to air any criticisms publicly.

Obasanjo said he favoured dialogue and a diplomatic approach, rather than antagonism with the Mugabe government. "We must help Zimbabwe out of its predicament and problem and we cannot do that if we become unduly and unnecessarily critical and antagonistic to Zimbabwe," he said, after talks with Mbeki in Pretoria, "we must remain constructively engaged with Zimbabwe." The Nigeria's leader is facing re-election in April.

Diplomatic sources told Reuters that Obasanjo was determined to meet Zimbabwean opposition personalities, as well as Mugabe, during his visit to the capital, Harare.

Morgan Tsvangirai, the main opposition leader who ran against Mugabe in last year’s presidential poll, is currently on trial for his alleged involvement in a plot to assassinate the Zimbabwean president.

If found guilty, Tsvangirai and two other senior members of his Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) could face the death penalty.

On the eve of Obasanjo’s visit to Zimbabwe, about 20 MDC supporters held a brief anti-Nigerian protest in Harare, Friday, before it was broken up by riot police. Dashing past the Nigerian High Commission in the city, to avoid the security forces, the demonstrators held up placards saying "Obasanjo is Mugabe’s puppet," "Obasanjo go home," and "Obasanjo, tell Mugabe to go".

Mbeki and Obasanjo said they were perfectly in agreement on Zimbabwe and other key issues, among them conflicts elsewhere in Africa and the crisis in Iraq. "We share the same positions with regard to all these matters," Mbeki told the news conference in Pretoria.

Asked why he would not be accompanying Obasanjo to Zimbabwe, Mbeki told allAfrica.com the start of the Cricket World Cup in South Africa on Saturday prevented him from travelling to Harare.

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