EDITOR’S NOTE: African gangsters and mass murderers who are raping the continent are currently meeting in Cairo, Egypt, to discuss how to continue sucking the blood of Africans.
No public criticism for Mugabe at African summit
By ANNA JOHNSON and PAUL SCHEMM, Associated Press
SHARM EL-SHEIK, Egypt (AP) — Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe entered an African summit accompanied by the meeting’s host Monday, a sign that African leaders won’t shun him despite Western demands they take a tough stance over his re-election in a tainted ballot.
But behind the scenes, some leaders were pushing for Mugabe to share power with his rival, Morgan Tsvangirai, who dropped out of Friday’s runoff election after allegedly state-sponsored killings and beatings of his supporters.
While many African countries — including regional powerhouse South Africa — were unwilling to condemn Mugabe, criticism by the U.S. and Europe only mounted.
France said Monday it considered Mugabe’s government “illegitimate,” and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown urged the African Union to reject the result of the runoff.
The summit should “make it absolutely clear that there has got to be change” in Zimbabwe, Brown said in London. “I think the message that is coming from the whole world is that the so-called elections will not be recognized.”
Zimbabwe’s longtime ruler basked in the opportunity at the AU to show regional recognition of his victory, a day after he was sworn in as president for a sixth term.
He entered the conference hall alongside his host, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, in a symbolic gesture of his status.
Still, there was little overt warmth for Mugabe in public sessions. But while mingling with leaders before the opening meeting, he hugged several heads of states and diplomats, said an African delegate who was present.
“He was hugging everyone, pretty much everyone he could get close to,” said the delegate, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t supposed discuss the private gathering.
During public speeches in this Red Sea resort, most AU leaders spoke of the “challenges” in Zimbabwe and none said anything harsh about Mugabe.
But Jendayi Frazer, the assistant U.S. secretary of state for African affairs, said she believed that in private leaders would “have very, very strong words for him.”
“I would suggest that one not take from the soft words in an open plenary as a reflection of the deep concern of leaders here of the situation in Zimbabwe,” she told reporters.
At the White House, press secretary Dana Perino also suggested behind-the-scenes pressure, saying Mugabe’s actions have “cast a negative light on some really good, democratic leaders in Africa.”
“There are a lot of them who are working very hard to institute democratic reforms in their own way,” she said.
Key African leaders have long had close ties to Mugabe, renowned as a campaigner against white rule and colonialism. They are also reluctant to be seen as backing the West — former colonial rulers — against a fellow African, and many can’t claim democratic governments in their own countries.
Not all were silent. In Nairobi, Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga said Zimbabwe should be suspended from the African Union. “They should suspend him and send peace forces to Zimbabwe to ensure free and fair elections,” Odinga said.
Senegal’s foreign minister, Cheikh Tidiane Gadio, complained of the hesitancy to openly pressure Mugabe.
He noted some Africans argue the West should “leave us alone and we be left to decide our own destiny.” But when the crisis occurs, he said, “we don’t want to talk about it. That doesn’t make any sense.”
The AU’s own election observers said Monday that the Zimbabwe runoff fell short of the group’s standards, citing violence and the denial of equal media access for the opposition. Tsvangirai has been holed up at the Dutch Embassy in Harare since announcing his withdrawal from the race June 22.
African diplomats have pointed to Kenya’s power-sharing agreement, which ended bloodshed there after flawed elections this year, as a possible model for Zimbabwe.
But unlike Kenya, which brought together two rivals who had been allies and are of the same generation, there is little common ground between Mugabe and Tsvangirai. The 84-year-old president is a veteran of Africa’s anti-colonial struggles and Tsvangirai, 56, is a former trade union leader.
Tsvangirai has said he is open to sharing power with moderate members of the ruling party, but says Mugabe should have no role in the government.
Zimbabwe’s U.N. ambassador suggested Monday that a power-sharing deal or other measures could head off efforts by the U.S., Britain and France to persuade the U.N. Security Council to approve sanctions.
“I don’t think that other members of the Security Council are convinced that our situation is a threat to international peace and security,” Zimbabwean U.N. Ambassador Boniface Chidyausiku said in an interview with The Associated Press. “We see the whole approach to sanctions as a weapon to try and effect a regime change in Zimbabwe.”
Chidyausiku indicated that Mugabe might try to give some kind of role in government to Tsvangirai.
“I’m sure the president will be in a position to come up with a solution where he can accomodate,” Chidyausiku said.
Associated Press Writer John Heilprin contributed to this report from the United Nations.
8 thoughts on “Meles, Mugabe and other African rapists meet in Egypt”
It is too funny to hear that AU leadees fail
strongly conndemend Mugabe. May be one famous saying in Ethiopia not known by westerns ” … Yalebet Zelay aychelem” aye amaregna ye leb aweka eko new .
Who blame who
I believe this so-called AU Summit in Egypt was chaired by Meles Zenawi. Do I need to say more?
Why is the world full of double standard? Where were they when Meles kill and arrest all the opposition politicians who defeated him. Why couldn’t they see that Mugabe didn’t kill and arrest as Meles does? The US, Britain, and France are speaking about the degree of subordination a leader has to them not to his own public. Meles is their subbordinate, therefore HE IS OK, and Mugabe is not their subbordinate, THEREFORE HE HAS TO GO. This is immoral double standard.
Why Zimbabiwe’s case is that headline in all the news media while there were a lot of rigged election all over Africa? The answer is clear. While all those other leaders who rigged election are darling of the Western countries, Mugabie is a different type of dictator; He is against the West and Whites. That is the only reason why we hear a lot about him all day long while we had hard time finding the news of 196 people killed in a broad day light, right in front of the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa. If this is not hypocrisy then what?
Look my Ethiopian brother and sister you must understand one thing, Americans or UK doesn’t care what kind government we have as long as their interest protected. Plus we are black people. Since when majority white cares about black African? American always stand for their interest then for their friend interest after that their friend friends interest E.T.C. at this time we (Ethiopians) are not their interest or friend except fascist meles zanawe. One thing I like about Americans they will stand with us if they see us real fighting fascist meles zanawe and have some progress. I am not talking about demonstration in front of white house when I say real fight. Other ways we will never see freedom in Ethiopia.
Elias,
It is true the baboons at the AU are just baboons and “blood suckers”.
But, they did the right thing, this time, by not condemning Robert Mugabe.
The condemnation of Robert Mugabe was all orchestrated by Britain and USA because he gave whites’ farmlands to the Zimbabwe people.
So, let’s give credit when it is due.
AU defied the orders to condemn Mugabe and that is the way it should be.
Many African leaders take orders directly from the West and it is about time they start to say NO.
It is not just domestic tin pot dictators that democracy in Africa is grappling with. The development of genuine democracy in the continent is also contending with the powerful U.S.A and those European countries like U.K who, instead of supporting democratic forces, are often siding with tyrants.
Meles, for the last seventeen years, has enjoyed their unstinted and massive support.
Although both the U.S.A and U.K governments have been shading crocodile tears about the plight of our people and pontificating about the need for the rule of law and democratic governance, they have actually stymied the evolution of democracy in our country by propping up Meles with huge financial aid, diplomatic support, covert security and military help. In parallel,they have consistently ignored the people’s many pleas, vigils, demonstrations and peaceful protestations against the abuse of power by the regime and they have also played down the recent triumphant election results of the democratic forces in the country. A human rights bill,HR2003,has been silenced by the American Senate against the will of Congress.
The dismissal by silence has not been expressed in those instances alone.
Almost nothing critical,too,is said in the media of these countries about the regime in Ethiopia that has, for the last seventeen years, committed far worse crimes than Mugabe of Zimbabwe. Reminiscent of practices of the totalitarian states of old Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, the media in the U.S and U.K seem to be uniformly economical with and silent about the truth.In so doing,we realize that they toe the line while working within the framework of the foreign affairs policies of their respective governments.
The current relentless media campaign both in the U.S.A and U.K against Mugabe sharply contrasts with the complete hush about the brutal dictator Meles.Why mollycoddling one dictator while legitimately castigating another?
This has to be exposed.We should never give up from making bare this hypocrisy and double standard taking it to the ordinary,fair and decent people of these countries.
In our quest for democracy,we must realize that the people in general and the civic society in particular are our natural allies.
The insincere political establishment may delay us from achieving our goals through its bad actions of supporting the dictator but it can never deny us our eventual victories!
I wonder how this western double standard is functioning
they were trying to downplay melese zenawis crime which is
by far bigger than that of mugabes. I think this worldwide
media coverage is because of his deeds against white
farmers and jandai freezer is a key role player who had no
ears for the suffering of 75 million Ethiopians . My fellow
Ethiopians we have some lesson from this political theatre