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Zimbabwe
needs mediators - Human Rights Forum
Itai
Mushekwe, The Zimbabwe Independent
January 13, 2006
http://www.theindependent.co.zw/news/2006/January/Friday13/3970.html
ZIMBABWE needs
mediators to promote dialogue and break the political deadlock in
the country, the Zimbabwe
Human Rights NGO Forum has said.
In its audit
of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR) report
titled Zimbabwe Facts and Fiction, the human rights umbrella group
said there was need for new initiatives to break the stalemate in
Zimbabwe.
It said as the
Zimbabwean crisis extends into another year, the absence of national
dialogue remained a deeply disturbing feature of the political landscape.
"As President
Mugabe and his ruling party entrench their repressive political
domination, the need for new initiatives to break the legitimacy
stalemate in Zimbabwe is more urgent than ever," the audit concludes.
"It appears
highly unlikely that internal opposition forces will in the near
future be able to build up sufficient pressure to force Zanu PF
into a political compromise. There is little indication that regional
powers will depart from their position of solidarity with Mugabe
in the current standoff with the West."
The NGO forum
said whatever pressure Western governments have put on Mugabe in
private, the rapidly declining economy clearly presents the government
with enormous problems of sustainability.
"Such constraints
will not translate automatically into a more pliant stand on the
part of the government," the audit says. "Rather, they will probably
result in more authoritarian state reaction. There is a dangerous
impasse in Zimbabwe, and the need for national dialogue has never
been greater," it says.
The audit notes
that national dialogue to mend political fences remains largely
illusionary as the main opposition MDC is tied up in a bitter power
struggle for more than three months after failing to agree on participation
in last year's senatorial election.
Zanu PF appears
to be fully in charge, as Mugabe would prefer a weak opposition
party trapped in political quicksands than a consolidated and goal-focused
force, it says.
President Mugabe
last year ruled out dialogue with the MDC, saying he would rather
talk to their so-called master, British premier Tony Blair.
"Today we tell
all those calling for such ill-conceived talks to please stop misdirecting
their efforts", said Mugabe.
"The rest of
the world knows who must be spoken to. In case they do not, we tell
them here at Heroes' Acre that the man to be spoken to in order
to make him see reason resides in Number 10 Downing Street. This
is the man to speak to and those at Harvest House (the MDC headquarters)
are no more than his stooges and puppets," Mugabe said.
Zimbabweans
have to brace for hard times ahead following the release of the
latest inflation figures this week.
Statistics show
that the December inflation figure have surged to 585,8% from 502,4%
in November last year, making access to basic commodities out of
reach for many Zimbabweans.
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