Monday, 4 March, 2002, 18:14 GMT
Opposition anger at Zimbabwe deal

Zimbabwe's opposition Movement for Democratic Change has criticised a
Commonwealth decision to take no action against the country before
presidential elections later this week.
Tendai Biti, MDC shadow minister for foreign affairs, said the
Commonwealth should have carried out its earlier threat to suspend
Zimbabwe, given that state-sponsored violence against the opposition
had got worse.

"A free and fair election is clearly impossible at this late stage in
the proceedings," he said.

But a spokesman for the ruling Zanu-PF party welcomed the
Commonwealth's ruling, under which a three-member committee will be set
up to decide future action based on the findings of the group's
election observers.

BBC diplomatic correspondent Barnaby Mason says the Commonwealth
decision was a painful compromise between member countries.

Britain and Australia had pushed for Zimbabwe's immediate suspension,
while others such as Tanzania and Namibia opposed any discussion at
all.

Violence

Hours after the deal had been announced, police in Zimbabwe broke up a
meeting in a Harare hotel between Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the MDC,
and foreign diplomats.

They had been in the middle of discussing food shortages in the country
when officers went in and declared the gathering illegal.

ZIMBABWE VOICES

"I cannot wait for the elections to be over. Perhaps then I will be
able to live a normal life.", Barbara, a teacher


In other incidents, an MDC spokesman said three activists were being
held at a ruling party base south-west of the capital.

A group of militants supporting the ruling party had also attacked
shops owned by an opposition supporter, he said.

The three-member Commonwealth committee, or troika, is made up of
Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, his South African counterpart
Thabo Mbeki and Australian Prime Minister John Howard.

Analysts say President Robert Mugabe is likely to be pleased with the
deal as Nigeria and South Africa have in the past opposed sanctions on
Harare.

A statement from the summit in Coolum, Queensland, said possible
measures against Mr Mugabe's government range from "collective
disapproval to suspension", if the poll is not free or fair.

Mr Howard said it had not been easy to reach a deal which was a "quick,
sure and fair mechanism".

"I think it's a credible outcome for the Commonwealth," he added.

Significantly, Zimbabwe had been party to the agreement, President
Obasanjo told the BBC.

"Frankly, and without any feeling of 'oh, I have lost out or I have
won', there's no winner, no loser. The consensus agreement we have
reached, we are all the better for it," Mr Obasanjo said.

But British Prime Minister Tony Blair said the summit ought to have
gone all the way.

"The case for suspending Zimbabwe now, I think, is very plain," Mr
Blair said.

Zimbabwe's Information Minister, Jonathan Moyo, described Britain's
stance as "disgraceful", when he made an impromptu appearance at the
summit.

President Mugabe himself has reportedly called on Mr Blair to keep his
"pink nose" out of Zimbabwe's affairs.

Despite the summit's condemnation of violence in the run-up to the
election, the statement refrained from blaming Mr Mugabe or his Zanu-PF
party for it.
-
BBC News

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