*Brown Consults Mbeki Over Zimbabwe*
**
http://allafrica.com/stories/200707160031.html


*The Herald* (Harare)

NEWS

16 July 2007

Posted to the web 16 July 2007

NEW British Prime Minister Mr Gordon Brown has consulted South African
President Thabo Mbeki over the Zimbabwean issue, the House of Lords heard
last week.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon told the upper house of the British parliament
last Thursday that Mr Brown contacted Mr Mbeki a week ago over Zimbabwe
without giving details.

She said London had also inquired about Harare from five other Sadc states.

"On 6 July the Prime Minister spoke to President Mbeki of South Africa about
Zimbabwe. In recent weeks Zimbabwe has been raised at ministerial or
presidential level with Zambia, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, Botswana and
South Africa," she said.

She was responding to Lord Blaker, who had asked whether the British
government would consult Sadc member states "on the case for political
reform in Zimbabwe".

Mr Mbeki was mandated by Sadc leaders to mediate between the Government and
opposition MDC as part of a regional initiative to help Zimbabwe solve its
socio-economic challenges.

At an extraordinary summit in Tanzania in March this year, Sadc leaders
condemned the illegal Western sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe and called for
their lifting.

They also implored upon Britain to fulfil its obligation to fund land
reforms in Zimbabwe as per the Lancaster House agreement.

Sadc leaders tasked the grouping's secretariat to study the economic
situation in Zimbabwe and craft a package to help Harare overcome the
illegal economic embargo.

President Mugabe has said he hopes Mr Brown -- who took over as British
prime minister from Mr Tony Blair on June 27 -- would help mend relations
between Zimbabwe and Britain.

Cde Mugabe said he hoped Mr Brown's government would have a relook of
London's policy on Zimbabwe and work to improve relations strained over the
land reforms.

"Well, he (Mr Blair) is gone. We hope that those who come after him will
look at Zimbabwe and the past policy and try to improve that past,"
President Mugabe said while addressing mourners at the burial of national
hero Brigadier-General Armstrong Paul Gunda in Harare last month.

¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface
at: http://listserv.icors.org/archives/gambia-l.html

To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?S1=gambia-l
To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to:
[log in to unmask]
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤