Rev Jesse Jackson offers to broker Zim talks

Rev Jesse Jackson offers to broker Zim talks
Nyarai Chidemo
Wed, 25 Jun 2008 10:52:00 +0000

AFRICAN American civil rights leader Reverend Jesse Jackson has urged President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai to show their commitment to peace through negotiation and offered to broker talks between the two leaders to end the crisis in the country. Jackson who was speaking to Voice of America radio said he was aggrieved by the suffering of the Zimbabwean people.

"We are pained, given the tremendous role that Zimbabwe played in liberating southern Africa from colonial rule. Now we must work diligently, together with President Mugabe and Mr. Tsvangirai to get Zimbabwe back into a reconstruction mode again," he said.

Jackson called on all people to assist the people of Zimbabwe find a way out of their current political crisis.

"If this were a white regime in Zimbabwe seen as holding up an election, the world would cry out to ask for fairness and open, free fair election without violence so we can again begin to get resources back into Zimbabwe to reduce inflation, to revive the economy. Zimbabweans need food and health and housing and capacity to restart their economy," Jackson said.

Jackson said some Western voices have not been loud enough about elections in other countries where the opposition there had complained about irregularities. But he said Africans should not look for a reason not to work for peace.

"We should not stand idly by and by some romantic notion of friendship be too weak to take a stand for openness, fairness and democracy for all of the people. If the AU (African Union) cannot resolve this crisis, it weakens itself by its inaction. If it cannot address in a meaningful way Zimbabwe, it cannot address in a meaningful way the Congo, Kenya, or Liberia, or Ethiopia, or any place else on the continent," Jackson said.

Jackson said it is time for leaders to step forward to help build a bridge over Zimbabwe's troubled waters.

He said if need be, he's willing to make himself available to help bring about what he called the restoration of growth in Zimbabwe.

"We must attempt to get some leaders who will take the risk and the burden of trying to build a bridge. And I'm certainly willing to reach out to other leaders and be available myself to help do what must done to help bring about the restoration of growth in Zimbabwe. It's our moral obligation. We did it for the freedom of South Africa and we cannot stop now in this quest for people to live freely and without fear and with hope," Jackson said.

VOA/TZG