Maravi

(HARDTALK) President Mugabe should be forced out: Botswana

COMMENT - Interesting - since when was it the objective of negotiations to 'remove President Mugabe'?

President Mugabe should be forced out: Botswana
Nyasha Makuvise
Wed, 26 Nov 2008 12:27:00 +0000
Phandu Skelemani

BOTSWANA has called on all African countries neighbouring Zimbabwe to close all their borders to force regime change in Zimbabwe. Speaking on BBC’s HardTalk programme, Botswana's foreign minister called on African nations to bring down the government of President Robert Mugabe.

Phando Skelemani, in one of the strongest statements ever issued by a government official in the Southern African Development Community, said mediation has failed to remove President Mugabe and African nations should impose sanctions to force that removal.

"If no petrol went in for a week, he can't last," Skelemani said on Wednesday.

Skelemani also called on the 15-nation Sadc community to “confront” President Mugabe.

He called on regional leaders to impose sanctions "this week" if the Zimbabwe power-sharing talks currently taking place in South Africa fail to produce a result.

He expressed little confidence in former South African President Thabo Mbeki’s Sadc-mandated mediation saying the group should "own up" and admit it has failed, and that it was “time for strong action”.

The latest statement is likely to worsen already frosty diplomatic relations between Zimbabwe and Botswana.

Skelemani also told the BBC that his country was willing to offer asylum to the MDC leader, although talks to form a unity government in Zimbabwe are currently taking place in South Africa mediated by Mbeki.

Skelemani defended President Khama’s supposed fear of President Mugabe saying the attendance at Sadc meetings was enough to send a clear message.

Asked by BBC reporter Stephen Sackur why President Khama always boycotts meetings where President Mugabe is in attendance, to deliver the Botswana statement clearly, Skelemani said it was enough to issue a statement and the two leaders need not necessarily come face-to-face to make that statement.

“Our Vice President is a man of the same stature,” he said.

Sackur questioned the Tswana foreign minister about his government’s stance on Zimbabwe which was in sharp contrast to South Africa’s quiet diplomacy.

Skelemani said Sadc reached decisions by consensus and Botswana’s views about Zimbabwe were in the minority within the regional grouping.

SHIFTING POLICY AGAIN

Skelemani’s statement comes against the backdrop of a visit to South Africa by a group of "Elders" led by former U.N. secretary general, Kofi Annan, late Mozambican President's wife and wife of former SA President Nelson Mandela, Graca Machel and former U.S. president Jimmy Carter – a visit viewed by the Zimbabwean government as meant to ratchet up pressure on Zimbabwe and bring it to the U.N. Security Council discussions.

Botswana President Ian Khama met with the "Elders" in South Africa, and since that meeting the country has again shifted its position on Zimbabwe.

Last week, before President Khama's meeting with Annan, Carter and Machel, Skelemani said his country will not recognise President Mugabe's government if the deadlock over a power sharing deal was not resolved within the next 6 months.

In the latest interview he says, neighbouring countries should impose sanctions against Zimbabwe "this week".

Skelemani’s latest interview is also in sharp contrast to a statement he made in October this year where he told journalists that his country was back in the fold of Sadc and would not refuse to recognise President Mugabe simply because there was an impasse in the negotiations.

“We will continue to encourage the parties to work together to reach an agreement. I don’t think it would be proper for us to say that we don’t recognise Mugabe simply because the parties are taking too long to reach an agreement,” said the Foreign Affairs minister, back in October.

His latest snub at former SA President Mbeki is in contrast to a statement he made back in October where he said Botswana's policy on Zimbabwe was now in line with that of the Sadc region and endorsed former South African President Thabo Mbeki’s continued facilitation in the Zimbabwean talks.

“My understanding is that he is Sadc’s envoy and I am sure that he will get the same respect he has always been accorded. We have always understood respect given to him to be respect given to Sadc,” the Tswana minister said.

EXTREME PROVOCATION

President Mugabe's government has accused the Botswana government of interference and said his call for fresh elections in Zimbabwe was an "act of extreme provocation".

This latest statement will not augur well with Zimbabwean Government which accused Botswana of training opposition MDC paramilitary groups to destabilize Zimbabwe.

A Government official who spoke to the Zimbabwe Guardian on Wednesday said this latest statement to remove President Mugabe was in line with allegations that Botswana was deliberately trying to effect regime change in Zimbabwe.

“This is in line with Botswana’s stance on Zimbabwe. Nothing is new. We know they are training MDC militia groups to destabilize this country,” said the official.

“We have always known this is Khama’s stance and this is not news to us.”

Labels: BOTSWANA, COLOUR REVOLUTIONS, IAN KHAMA, MDC VIOLENCE, NEOCOLONIALISM, SADC

posted by MrK @ 2:20 PM