African leaders seek solution to Zimbabwe impasse

Facing pressure from the United States for expanded sanctions against President Robert Mugabe...

Facing pressure from the United States for expanded sanctions against President Robert Mugabe, African leaders gathered here for a second day on Tuesday to seek a less confrontational way out of Zimbabwe’s political impasse following elections widely condemned as a sham.

But Mugabe’s aides dismissed suggestions from some African leaders that, like Kenya after its contested elections, Zimbabwe should be run by a coalition government. “Kenya is Kenya. Zimbabwe is Zimbabwe. We have our own history of evolving dialogue and resolving political impasses the Zimbabwean way. The Zimbabwean way, not the Kenyan way. Not at all,” George Charamba, Mugabe’s spokesman, told reporters.

Mugabe was jostled unceremoniously by a crowd of reporters clutching tape-recorders and cameras as he arrived in the Red Sea resort where the 53-nation African Union is holding long-scheduled talks, that have been overshadowed by the outcome of last Friday’s one-candidate election in Zimbabwe.

At one point, according to African journalists who witnessed the incident, a British television reporter accused Mugabe of “stealing elections in your country”. Mugabe snapped back: “When are the British going to stop colonising us? I am the president whether you like it or not.”

The deliberations here are gradually taking shape as an effort to persuade Mugabe and Tsvangirai to open discussions on some form of unity government, and avert new sanctions as a result of outside pressure that would reflect badly on the continent’s ability to solve its own problems.

A key issue is whether African leaders will recognise last Friday’s election— and thus the legitimacy of Mugabe’s presidency—or will heed demands by Tsvangirai to base negotiations on the first round on March 29 in which Tsvangirai won more votes.

While three African monitoring groups condemned Friday’s election, President Omar Bongo of Gabon was quoted as telling reporters at the African Union meeting that Mugabe “was elected, he took an oath, and he is here with us, so he is president and we cannot ask him more,” Agence France-Presse reported.