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(HERALD) Support Zim Govt, West told

Support Zim Govt, West told
From Mabasa Sasa at the UNITED NATIONS, New York

PRESIDENT Mugabe has urged the international community to support the inclusive Government while calling on the West to remove the ruinous illegal economic sanctions they imposed on Zimba-bwe.

Addressing the 65th Session of the United Nat-ions General Assembly here yesterday, President Mugabe said the inclusive Government had made tremendous progress in stabilising the economy since its formation in February last year, but the West’s embargo was undermining progress.

He pointed out that the inclusive Government was against the sanctions, as were various regional and international bodies such as Sadc, Comesa, the AU and the Non-Aligned Movement.

More than 100 world leaders are attending the General Assembly.

Said President Mugabe: "Achievements in the economic area include the revitalisation of capacity utilisation in industries, the containment of inflation, improvement of service delivery in health and education, as well as rehabilitation of basic infrastructure such as roads, water and sanitation facilities.

"The three parties to our GPA (Global Political Agreement) have worked hard to implement most of the issues that they agreed on. To maintain the momentum, we need the support of the region and that of the international community.

"In this regard, we commend Sadc, the African Union, the NAM and indeed like-minded members of the international community for giving us their support.

"We believe that constructive engagement, and not isolation and punishment, will bring the necessary impetus to the efforts of our inclusive Government.

"Our country is indeed marching forward in peace and unity."

The Head of State and Government and Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces condemned the use of unilateral sanctions and other coercive measures in international relations

"Such measures are completely at cross-purposes with the principles of international co-operations as enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations.

"I say this because my country continues to be a victim of illegal sanctions imposed by the European Union and the United States of America without any reference to the United Nations with the evil intention of causing regime change.

"These illegal sanctions have caused untold suffering among Zimbabweans, who alone should be the deciders of regime change."

He added: "Our inclusive Government is united against these illegal sanctions and has made repeated appeals without success for their immediate and unconditional removal.

"The rest of the international community, including Sadc, Comesa and the African Union, has similarly called for the removal of the sanctions, but these calls have gone unheeded.

"We urge those who imposed these iniquitous sanctions to heed the call by the international community to unconditionally remove them.

"The people of Zimbabwe should, like every other sovereign State, be left to freely chart their own destiny."

President Mugabe said the UN General Assembly had for over a decade and every year adopted a resolution on ending the economic sanctions, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the US on Cuba.

"To this date, that resolution has gone unheeded by the US and the result has been the continued suffering of the people of Cuba. Zimbabwe joins the Non-Aligned Movement and other well-meaning countries which call for the immediate lifting of this ruinous embargo."

President Mugabe said Zimbabwe yearned for a community of nations that recognised and respected the sovereign equality of both big and small states in accordance with the UN Charter

He also called for meaningful reforms of the world body so that it better reflects the changed geo-political realities since the organisation’s formation soon after the Second World War.

"Why are the developed Western countries, especially those permanent members with the veto, resisting the democratisation of the United Nations organs, particularly in the Security Council?

"Aren’t they the ones who talk glibly about democracy in regard to our developing countries? Or are they sanctimonious hypocrites whose actions contradict their sermon to us?" he asked.

President Mugabe called for fairer global trade and reforms to the manner in which the World Bank and IMF were run, so that Africa would have a greater say in these institutions.

The President and his delegation were expected to leave New York for Harare last night.

Labels: ROBERT MUGABE, SPEECHES, UN

posted by MrK @ 9:56 AM