ID :
11073
Sun, 06/29/2008 - 05:05
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/11073
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Zuma flays presidential run-off polls in Zimbabwe
Durban, Jun 28 (PTI) The leader of the ruling African National Congress (A.N.C) , Jacob Zuma, has strongly condemned the one-sided presidential run-off election in Zimbabwe and called for challenging the human rights violation in the country.
Zuma, who is expected to take over as President from Thabo Mbeki after the general elections next year, asked African leaders to debate and said President Robert Mugabe's reliance on Zimbabwe's sovereignty to justify gross human right violations should be challenged.
"How you exercise your sovereignty in a sovereign country it must not impact negatively to other sovereignties. Because once what you do impacts negatively to other countries, we have plus minus three million Zimbabweans in South Africa (S.A.) and it’s not a small matter for us to keep quiet if we think things are not going right," Zuma said.
Zuma was speaking in Johannesburg Friday night against the background of widespread condemnation of the election by the U.N. Security Council, the European Union, the United States, Britain, some leaders of the Southern African Development Community (S.A.D.C.) and political and non-government organisations.
The A.N.C. President said he believed that the only thing which might get Zimbabwe out of the conflict was some form of negotiated political arrangement.
"This is important to achieve stability and peace in the
Southern African Development Community (S.A.D.C.) region," Zuma said.
Meanwhile, reports from Zimbabwe indicate that 84-year-old Mugabe is preparing to be sworn in as President for another term since he first assumed the throne in 1980.
The leader of the opposition M.D.C., Morgan Tsvangirai, who withdrew from the election because of violence perpetrated by Mugabe's militia, has called on South Africa and the international community to ensure that Mugabe did not continue to rule in Zimbabwe.
He was quoted on South Africa's national S.A.F.M. radio as saying that he was prepared to discuss the creation of a transitional arrangement so that free and fair elections could be held for the presidency of the country.
Zuma, who is expected to take over as President from Thabo Mbeki after the general elections next year, asked African leaders to debate and said President Robert Mugabe's reliance on Zimbabwe's sovereignty to justify gross human right violations should be challenged.
"How you exercise your sovereignty in a sovereign country it must not impact negatively to other sovereignties. Because once what you do impacts negatively to other countries, we have plus minus three million Zimbabweans in South Africa (S.A.) and it’s not a small matter for us to keep quiet if we think things are not going right," Zuma said.
Zuma was speaking in Johannesburg Friday night against the background of widespread condemnation of the election by the U.N. Security Council, the European Union, the United States, Britain, some leaders of the Southern African Development Community (S.A.D.C.) and political and non-government organisations.
The A.N.C. President said he believed that the only thing which might get Zimbabwe out of the conflict was some form of negotiated political arrangement.
"This is important to achieve stability and peace in the
Southern African Development Community (S.A.D.C.) region," Zuma said.
Meanwhile, reports from Zimbabwe indicate that 84-year-old Mugabe is preparing to be sworn in as President for another term since he first assumed the throne in 1980.
The leader of the opposition M.D.C., Morgan Tsvangirai, who withdrew from the election because of violence perpetrated by Mugabe's militia, has called on South Africa and the international community to ensure that Mugabe did not continue to rule in Zimbabwe.
He was quoted on South Africa's national S.A.F.M. radio as saying that he was prepared to discuss the creation of a transitional arrangement so that free and fair elections could be held for the presidency of the country.
