In These New Times

Annan was not barred from Zim: Mumbengegwi

Sunday Mail/TZG Zimbabwe Guardian

Sun, 23 Nov 2008 01:25:00 +0000

THE Zimbabwe Government has not barred former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan and his team of “Elders” from visiting Zimbabwe, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Simbarashe Mumbengegwi, told reporters during a press conference in Harare yesterday.

Mumbengegwi said authorities postponed the visit because Annan had not made prior consultations with Government on the “timing and programme” of his proposed visit.

He said it would have been difficult for the team to carry out a meaningful assessment given that Government had already conducted a thorough humanitarian audit together with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the local United Nations Country Team.

“It is most unfortunate that the former (UN) secretary-general has, for reasons best known to himself, misrepresented the position of the Government of Zimbabwe. The allegations he has made are not supported by facts,” said Mumbengegwi.

“We take strong exception to any suggestions that there are those out there who care more about the welfare of our people than we do. Mr Annan is a man of great experience.

“He knows the importance of prior consultations and preparation for high-level visits such as the one he was proposing. We expect someone of his level to observe the correct procedure and practice.”

The Elders told the media in South Africa yesterday that they had failed to travel to Harare because they had been denied visas by the Zimbabwean Government.

They said they had planned to spend two days in the country, but had to cancel the trip after failing to secure visas. Media reports said the Elders ended up meeting MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who was in Johannesburg after a trip to Europe last week.

Confirming the meeting with Tsvangirai, the Elders’ spokesperson, Katy Cronin, said: “He (Mr Tsvangirai) met them earlier today. Unfortunately, I’m not in a position to disclose what was discussed.”

But according to Mumbengegwi, Annan wrote to Government stating his intention to visit Zimbabwe between yesterday and today. The purpose of the said mission was to “make a first-hand assessment of what is needed to more effectively respond to the humanitarian situation in your country”.

However, Government promptly advised him that the proposed visit be postponed to a mutually agreed date, as no prior consultations had been made. Still, if such consultations had been made, Annan would have been drawn to the comprehensive assessment that the country has already conducted.

The assessment, which culminated in the formulation of a Consolidated Appeal, details areas of the country that require the humanitarian community’s immediate attention. It also takes into account Government’s resource mobilisation level and identifies the gap that the humanitarian community needs to fill.

Mumbengegwi said the Government and the WFP last week signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the supply and distribution of 350 000 tonnes of food assistance. He said the international humanitarian community was also responding to the Consolidated Appeal by way of interventions in health, water and sanitation.

“The Government of Zimbabwe is fully aware of the humanitarian challenges facing the country and is determined to address these challenges, which are spelt out in detail in the Consolidated Appeal document,” he said.

“The Government is ready and willing to engage all those of goodwill in an effort to meet the goals and objectives of the Consolidated Appeal.”

The Consolidated Appeal summarises a country’s requirements.

Meanwhile, a local political commentator has described the Elders group, comprising former US president Jimmy Carter, Annan and Ms Graca Machel, who is now married to former South African leader Nelson Mandela, as a group of “humanitarian tourists” whose mission to Zimbabwe was to “certify the death of Zimbabwe”.

He said the country’s enemies anticipated a currency crash following illegal dealings in the banking sector and stock market.

The commentator alleged that the visit by the Elders was supposed to come immediately after the currency crash so that the group would issue a damning report on Zimbabwe calling for the immediate intervention of the UN.

It is understood that the US Ambassador to Zimbabwe, James McGee — the architect of the plan — made frantic efforts to persuade President Mugabe to allow the Elders into the country.

“After September 15, when the inter-party deal was signed, the British and American governments thought it would collapse in 90 days, but this has not happened. Following developments in the financial sector over the past few weeks, the focus shifted to the collapse of the currency, which was supposed to happen this week.

“Soon after the collapse of the currency, the Elders were supposed to arrive and announce that Zimbabwe is now a UN case,” said the political commentator.

The commentator said just by looking at the itinerary proposed by the group, one was convinced that this was not a humanitarian mission at all.

Upon arrival in Zimbabwe, the Elders were supposed to head straight to meet President Mugabe, then later meet the leaders of the two MDC formations. After that they were supposed to have dinner with heads of political organisations and civic rights groups where they were to discuss issues relating to, among other things, the media and elections.

The next day, they were supposed to have breakfast with heads of women’s organisations and later meet with humanitarian and trade union groups. After that, they would hold a Press conference and issue a report. Lastly, they would meet EU and African ambassadors in Zimbabwe.

“This is not an itinerary of people coming to assess the humanitarian situation. You can’t have a first-hand assessment of the humanitarian situation in a country through a whistle-stop for 24 hours.

“These are people who had the final document in their briefcase who just wanted to make public their pre-conceived thoughts about Zimbabwe at a Press conference in Harare,” said the commentator.

He asked why the Elders did not want to visit remote areas like Zhombe or Honde Valley to assess the humanitarian situation on their own.

He added: “This was a political mission and not a humanitarian mission. By taking corrective measures to clean up the banking and stock exchange, the Governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, Dr Gideon Gono, thwarted the plan to collapse the country’s currency. The Elders were coming with the death certificate to celebrate this collapse.”

The commentator said last Tuesday, the Government had shown willingness to address the humanitarian situation in the country through signing a MoU with the WFP that will see the organisation assisting the country with grain worth US$500 million.

“Of course, there is a humanitarian situation in Zimbabwe because first there are sanctions that are wreaking havoc to the economy and, secondly, due to the divisive tactics by the West, the country has gone for almost a year without a government,” said the commentator.

The commentator said “it is sad that some respectable Africans have become instruments of destabilisation”.

“If the Elders are tough, why are they not going to Goma in the DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo), and why haven’t they achieved anything in Sudan?”

He concluded: “Through the September 15 agreement, Zimbabweans committed to work together and the best this shadow group can do is to support that agreement. They are coming to divide a country that is trying to unite. Even Tsvangirai is now saying sanctions should be lifted in the spirit of the agreement.”