Tuesday, September 02, 2008

(NEWZIMBABWE) FLARE-UP: President Mugabe snaps in a confrontation with British journalists in Egyopt

Mugabe in shock outburst, calls UK reporters 'bloody idiots'

FLARE-UP: President Mugabe snaps in a confrontation with British journalists in Egyopt on Monday, June 30
By Lebo Nkatazo
Last updated: Tue, 01 Jul 2008 18:26:58 GMT

PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe flew into an amazing outburst in Egypt on Monday, branding reporters who hustled him as he left an African Union summit “bloody idiots”. Security guards remonstrated with British journalists who used pointed language against the Zimbabwean leader, one congratulating him for “stealing an election”.

When a Channel 4 reporter asked him “on what grounds does he stake his claim to be President?”, Mugabe shot back: “On the same basis as mister (Gordon) Brown (British Prime Minister) regards himself as prime minister of Zimbabwe.”

In further exchanges with reporters, Mugabe blasted: “We are not a British colony, you must know that. We are not a British colony.”

The journalists continued to hustle the 84-year-old Zimbabwean strongman as security guards headed him towards the exits of the conference room in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh.

In a parting shot, a visibly angry Mugabe snapped: “What have you got to do with Zimbabwe? Who are you? Bloody idiots!”

The amazing scenes came on the first day of the two-day gathering of African leaders who are under pressure to find a solution to Zimbabwe’s political stand-off after Mugabe was sworn in for a sixth term last Sunday following a disputed poll which opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai pulled out of, although his name remained on the ballot paper. Mugabe won a landslide – claiming 85.5 percent of the votes cast.

Earlier, veteran African leader and Gabon President Omar Bongo told journalists that Mugabe "is president" of Zimbabwe, despite the way he was elected.

"He was elected, he took an oath, and he is here with us, so he is president and we cannot ask him more," said Bongo, Africa's longest serving leader who took power in 1967. "He conducted elections and I think he won."

African Union observers on Monday condemned the election as undemocratic, intensifying pressure on Mugabe as he faces his peers after a vote much of the world has dismissed as a farce.

European countries, the United States and the United Nations have been leading calls for firm action against Mugabe who has led the southern African country since 1980.

"I can certainly tell you that we are not obliged to obey orders from overseas," Bongo said.

Asked about the rising international calls for the AU to condemn Mugabe election, Bongo said that "Africans are able to decide for themselves. We have even received Mugabe as a hero," he said.

"We understand the attacks (by the international community) but this is not the way they should react. What they've done is, in our opinion, a little clumsy, and we think they could have consulted us (the AU) first," he said.

The strongest words in open session came from the UN. Its deputy secretary general, Asha-Rose Migiro, put pressure on African rulers to intervene directly to broker a political settlement. "This is a moment of truth for regional leaders," Migiro said.

In London Gordon Brown called on the summit to "make it absolutely clear that there has got to be change" in Zimbabwe. "I think the message that is coming from the whole world is that the so-called elections will not be recognised," he said.

The Kenyan Prime Minister, Raila Odinga, offered advice from Nairobi informed by his experience in opposition. "They should suspend him and send peace forces to Zimbabwe to ensure free and fair elections," he said.

However, inside the conference centre the language, at least in public, was considerably more circumspect. The host, President Hosni Mubarak, who has jailed many of his opponents and has been in power for 27 years, one less than Mugabe, stressed peace, stability and development rather than democracy.

Jakaya Kikwete, the Tanzanian president chairing the summit, even referred to the Zimbabwean elections as "historic".

One of Mugabe's toughest critics, the Zambian president, Levy Mwanawasa, was taken to hospital with a suspected stroke before the leaders gathered.

According to diplomats in Sharm el-Sheikh there were pointed exchanges in closed session. There was debate over whether to appoint an AU mediator to work alongside the South African president, Thabo Mbeki, who has been designated broker by the Southern African Development Community.

"Mbeki is trying very hard to stop it," said one diplomat. "Mbeki's argument is that this is a SADC lead, but the arguments of others is that Kenya shows the need for a full-time mediator."

Agencies report that Mugabe was greeted warmly by some other African leaders at meetings closed to the media. "He was hugging everyone, pretty much everyone he could get close to," one delegate told The Associated Press.

FIX: Zambian leader Levy Mwanawasa's place was taken by National Planning Minister Ng’andu Magande, who was positioned next to President Mugabe (far right)
FIX: Zambian leader Levy Mwanawasa's place was taken by National Planning Minister Ng’andu Magande, who was positioned next to President Mugabe (far right)

Labels: , ,

posted by MrK @ 5:31 PM

1 Comments:

At 6:27 PM , Blogger MrK said...

This story shows several things:

1) These 'british journalists' overstepped their legal rights and tried to create a story by bullying and harassing a head of state. They should have been beaten up by the security guards.

2) This article is trying to promote the idea that Robert Mugabe is isolited in Africa, when in fact he enjoys broadbased support, both at home and throughout Africa, because unlike the British public, people are not easily fooled by appearances.

3) Pressure is being up on the leadership of Kenya and Tanzania to usurp the role of South Africa, because Thabo Mbeki is not representing western interests well enough -what does that say about he leadership of Kenya and Tanzania?

4) There is the creation of a false sense of urgency about Zimbabwe, which shows how ungenuine the latest interference is.

 

Post a Comment

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

<< Home