(TALKZIMBABWE) Elders snub Security Council meeting on Zimbabwe

Elders snub Security Council meeting on Zimbabwe
Ranganai Chidemo
Tue, 16 Dec 2008 05:52:00 +0000

THE Group of Elders have snubbed a meeting organised by United Kingdom Foreign Secretary, David Miliband and US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice to give oral evidence on the situation in Zimbabwe, the Zimbabwe Guardian has learnt. The closed door UN meeting was aimed at stepping up pressure on President Mugabe amid the cholera crisis in the country.

The UN meeting would have heard a representation on Zimbabwe by the Elders – Jimmy Carter, former US President, Kofi Annan, former UN Secretary General and Graca Machel, former First Lady of Mozambique and wife of Nelson Mandela.

The Elders are said to have declined the invitation by the US and Britain preferring instead to email their report, in a move diplomats say was aimed at preserving the independence of their group from the role of the Security Council.

A statement issued by UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon also indicated that South Africa and Zimbabwe might have blocked that discussion and the representation.

Ban said: “Despite our continued efforts, I unfortunately have to conclude that neither the Government nor the mediator welcomes a UN role.”

Ban is also said to have been opposed to the representation by the Elders as it would have undermined his role.

Ban is also said to have felt that the Elders' project was designed to undermine his office and that it would have “ghastly” consequences for future relations between the global body’s Secretariat and the constituent Member States.

Asked whether there would be another council meeting on Zimbabwe before the end of President George W. Bush's administration next month, sheRice said: "I don't know. But I think it is high time to do something about Zimbabwe."

Miliband indicated that he hoped to make a fresh push for adoption of such a statement in January when South Africa will no longer be on the council.

"We believe that this meeting needs to mark the restart of Security Council engagement on this issue," Miliband said. "I hope the Security Council will continue in the weeks ahead to continue to engage."

This development comes 36 days to the end of US President Bush. Secretary of State Rice’s farewell dinner was hosted by Ban Ki Moon last night at the UN headquarters.

Rice was on her last diplomatic offensive aimed at the Mideast peace process, Zimbabwe and Somalia.

On the Mideast peace process Rice and Ban met with two members of the Middle East Quartet: Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana. The four leaders called for an establishment of an independent Palestinian states to co-exist with Israel.

Rice admitted that US President Bush’s desire for a Middle East settlement before the end of the year will not be achieved but that this was “the first time in almost a decade that Palestinians (and) Israelis are addressing all of the core issues to try to get to a comprehensive solution”.

Rice was also pushing for a resolution to authorize “all necessary measures” to pursue pirates ashore in Somalia, despite reservations by the US commander of the Navy’s 5th Fleet of the wisdom of launching an attack on Somalian pirates on land. China expressed reservations over the resolution.

Rice, who did not get the response she required on Zimbabwe, urged more pressure from Zimbabwe’s neighbours to force President Robert Mugabe, saying the economic and health crisis “simply can’t go on”.

Zimbabwe had indicated that it would block the discussion at the UN table, and the response of the Elders might have been calculated on that basis, say diplomatic sources.

The Minister of Information and Publicity, Sikhanyiso Ndlovu indicated on Saturday that Zimbabwe would block that discussion.

“You do not convene a UN Security Council meeting for a sovereign state without consulting that country,” he said.

“We are not a threat. If they insist, we will work hard to block it with the assistance of our friends.

The emailed report of the Elders to the Security Council, howver, faced sharp criticism from the region, because the Elders had not seen events on the ground in Zimbabwe first hand.

Former mayor of Pretoria Father Smangaliso Mkhatswa and Vice Chairperson of the MDP Eastern and Southern Africa in Namibia Mrs. Rosina Hoabes have condemned the calls by the west, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga for military intervention in Zimbabwe.

The two made the statements after the release of contents of the damning report on Zimbabwe.

In the report the elders are urging Sadc leaders to engage more actively in accelerating the transition of power in Zimbabwe to an all inclusive power sharing government.

For Miliband and Rice, the report by the Elders was meant to convince the UN Security Council that the situation in the country has deteriorated to an extent that warrants military intervention on the basis of Responsibility to Protect.