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Annan cans visit after Mugabe talks
Simba Makunike, Business Day (SA)
July 03, 2006

http://www.businessday.co.za/articles/topstories.aspx?ID=BD4A225715

ZIMBABWE has lost a key opportunity to achieve a diplomatic end to its political impasse, following a decision by United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Kofi Annan to call off a visit to the country later this year.

Annan, who held talks with President Robert Mugabe at the sidelines of the African Union Summit in Banjul, Gambia, on Saturday, was scheduled to visit Zimbabwe this year to try to solve the country’s political and economic problems.

The Zimbabwean problem has largely been left to the continent’s leaders as well as a handful of western states — none of whom has made significant progress.

Annan’s visit would have increased the profile of the crisis and brought more pressure for a political solution in the country.

Mugabe is trying to block Annan from going to Harare to prevent the Zimbabwean crisis from being included on the agenda of the UN Security Council.

Stung by criticism of his controversial campaign of slum demolitions last year, Mugabe invited Annan to Zimbabwe to see the situation for himself. But the invitation appeared to have been withdrawn this year with Mugabe saying "Zimbabwe did not need rescuing".

The South African government, whose initiatives on Zimbabwe have yielded little fruit, recently announced a policy shift, saying it was eager for the UN to resolve the problems.

Reports yesterday said the Mugabe-Annan meeting, which took less than 40 minutes, ended in agreement to call off the trip.

Annan said he would issue a statement "later". Newspapers and the state-owned Zimbabwe Broadcasting Holdings confirmed the trip was off. It is not clear whether the cancellation was by mutual consent but the announcement ends days of speculation over whether Mugabe would agree to meet Annan this weekend for private talks on the crisis and whether the Zimbabwean leader would reissue last year’s invitation to the UN boss.

The reports said Mugabe and Annan had discussed Zimbabwe’s relations with former colonial power Britain. Mugabe blames Britain for Zimbabwe’s searing political and economic problems, accusing British Prime Minister Tony Blair of internationalising a dispute between the two countries. With Sapa-DPA

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