THE British and United States embassies in South Africa denied trying to undermine the Sadc and President Thabo Mbeki's mediation efforts in Zimbabwe after criticism of their "political interference".
This comes after African religious leaders said Mbeki disapproved of the two countries' actions when the clergymen met Mbeki to discuss the Zimbabwean crisis in Pretoria on Friday.
Mbeki had lamented the "political interference" from the US and Britain on his mediation efforts as the regional head of state chosen by the Southern African Development Community to mediate in Zimbabwe.
Mbeki had pointed to US President George Bush's statements, the actions of the US mission in South Africa and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's actions at the Security Council as "political interference".
African religious leaders said Mbeki had complained that the two countries sought to "subvert" the Sadc's mediation efforts.
On Sunday the two missions denied undermining the Sadc and Mbeki's mediation efforts, saying there was nothing to worry about.
The British High Commission's First Secretary for Media and Public Affairs, R K Dixon, said: "We have always been supportive of the Sadc and Thabo Mbeki's mediation efforts. There is no issue here."
In the same vein US embassy spokesperson Sharon Hudson said: "We have repeated many times that the Sadc has and continues to play a meaningful role in the mediation efforts in Zimbabwe and we will support it."
Dixon said Brown, who attempted to muscle a debate on Zimbabwe when Mbeki chaired the council — a move lamented by Mbeki at the meeting with religious leaders - plans to table the Zimbabwean crisis for discussion.
The two countries are in favour of tightening sanctions on (President) Robert Mugabe's Zimbabwe's government and may consider an arms embargo on the flow of arms to Zimbabwe.
Mbeki had criticised the "overt" presence of these countries and the US mission around Movement for Democratic Change leader (Morgan) Tsvangirai, whom he criticised for reneging on agreements with him at the advice of the US and the UK.
Mediation
As Zimbabwe's electoral commission prepares for a presidential election second round, the opposition MDC, which won the parliamentary elections and whose leader pipped (President) Mugabe in the first round presidential election, is to decide today whether to take part.
According to the clergymen, Mbeki preferred all mediation efforts to support those of the Sadc.
The president of the SA Council of Churches, Prof Tinyiko Maluleke, said Mbeki expressed concern that Brown insisted on having the Zimbabwe issue discussed at the council which was being chaired by him.
Mbeki said to the clergymen the Sadc would send a team to Zimbabwe yesterday to investigate reports of escalating post election violence.
However, opposition parties the Democratic Alliance and the Independent Democrats criticised the move, saying it was too little too late.
The DA intends to call a parliamentary debate on the "post-election crisis" in Zimbabwe when parliament reconvenes on Tuesday to probe the Sadc and Mbeki's "lack" of action.
[This article was originally published on page 1 of The Daily News on May 05, 2008]
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The Liberal • theliberal@yahoo.com Subject: Duplicity Tue, 06 May 2008 16:26:20 • further to my earlier comments would any any country that believes in human rights pass bill HR 666 into law considering it authorises illegally acquired evidence after unauthorised searches to be accepted as trial evidence. What then does this make of wide spread reports of The police raiding MDC forces to gather evidence because my understanding is if this was in the US the police would only be enacting HR 666. For people waiting for the mark of the beast according to revelations in the Bible, the US marked the occasion by passing an illegal amendment that violates the bill of rights espoused in the Fourth amendment. For clarity the Fourth Amendment holds pride of place in the US and all the freedom they claim is based on this amendment. Its also unusual that the US takes to sanctioning Nations that seek arms to defend themselves yet steadfastly maintain US citizens rights to bear arms. I know a lot of people are going to say African dictators use arms to kill citizens which is true to a certain extent but every year in the US there is people who use fire arms to kill innocent people as in the case of the Virginia Tech massacre on 16 April 2007.
The Liberal • theliberal@yahoo.com Subject: Duplicity@ Pombai Tue, 06 May 2008 15:49:21 • The comment about the UK and The US merely observing human rights issue would be a fair one were it for the fact that the above two follow the maxim `do as I say not as I do`. The two are not really a shining example of human rights advocacy considering the US detains prisoners indefinitely on Guantanamo Bay because they have not managed to get required confession to convict them. Rather than the accepted practice of innocent until until proven guilty, The US prefers to interrogate them till they admit to what the US wants to hear. Mr Bush recently signed into law the practice of water boarding(an act of torture by simulated drowning).
This then flies in the face of their claims of safeguarding human rights if they criticise exactly what they practice. If anyone needs to know more about the Western morals youtube The controversies of 9/11 or how the federal reserve was formed by googling Money as Debt under the google videos option.
When people better understand the workings of these countries then their motives become clearer. Its also interesting to note that though US presidents are democratically elected most of the are related to each other and also to European royalty. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_Presidents_by_genealogical_relationship
More like Royal Presidents if ask me and an extension of European supremacy if you buy into the conspiracy theories believed in by a significant population of the US. This is not necessarily what I beleive in but all this stuff is out there on the net and either there is nothing in it or the conspiracy theorists are right. Imagine for a second if their are right and the implications of it all.
Pombai • n/a Subject: Mbeki sounds like Mugabe Tue, 06 May 2008 13:48:09 • Mbeki you sing from the same hymn book as Bob, S and UK do not interfere with anything, all they do is voice their concern at the human rights abuse in Zim, and also telling the world that there is a CRISIS in Zim, which certain blind man cannot see. So far 20 people have been murdered and someone still sees NO CRISIS. Come on man wake up from that slumber.
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