Maravi

Angola will respect Zimbabwe’s sovereignty: foreign minister
This article was written by Our reporter on 15 June, at 02 : 23 AM

Angola, as a member of the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) will not interfere in the internal affairs of Zimbabwe or undermine the country’s sovereignty.

This was said on Friday by the Angolan Foreign Minister Georges Rebelo Pinto Chikoti who is representing President José Eduaro dos Santos at the Extraordinary Summit of Sadc being held in Maputo, Mozambique.

Speaking to journalists soon after his arrival in Maputo, the former guerrilla fighter declared, “Angola’s position is neither to undermine the sovereignty of our brothers in Zimbabwe nor to undermine the internal processes in Zimbabwe.

“Our position is clear. Zimbabwe is a sovereign country, a liberated country and more so one of the first Independent sub-Saharan countries together with Angola.

“We believe it has the capacity to do its own things. In fact it is one of the countries Angola looks for when in need of political advice and support”.

Chikoti said Sadc was ready to assist Zimbabwe with the election process.

“Angola agrees to the process that happened in Zimbabwe, all was consensual, as there was a referendum in which all Sadc countries participated and supported the way it was conducted,” he said.

Mozambique , Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Namibia, the Democratic Republic of Congo are unflinching in their open support for President Robert Mugabe and his status in the region.

Meanwhile, the MDC-T party led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai is planning to appeal to Sadc to pressure President Mugabe to reverse his proclamation declaring the date for harmonised elections as 31 July 2013.

“The MDC will be taking to Sadc its commitment to free and fair election which should be held as soon as possible without delay,” the MDC-T said in a statement released on Thursday – a day after the presidential proclamation.

“However, the party will insist on key reforms that have a bearing on the freeness and fairness of the elections.”

Tsvangirai promised Thursday he would go to court to force President Mugabe to abide by the constitution and implement key democratic reforms before polls are called.

But his lawyers, who were expected to file a court application on Friday said they would file only after the Sadc summit. They are hoping that ‘Sadc action’ will make a formal court challenge unnecessary.

President Mugabe wrote a letter to the principals in the inclusive Government saying he called the election in compliance with an order from the Constitutional Court.

Labels: ANGOLA, GEORGES REBELO PINTO CHIKOTI, ZIMBABWE

posted by MrK @ 5:49 PM