[Mb-civic] UN chief warns on dangers of Zimbabwe

[Michael Butler]

FT.com     
 
Click Here to Print
      EMAIL THIS | Close
 
UN chief warns on dangers of Zimbabwe
>By David White
>Published: July 6 2005 22:02 | Last updated: July 6 2005 22:02
>>

Kofi Annan on Wednesday urged African leaders to break their silence over
actions by governments, such as Zimbabwe's, that were undermining the
continent's credibility in the eyes of the world.

The United Nations secretary-general said in an interview at the Financial
Times before making his way to the Group of Eight summit in Scotland that it
was the responsibility of Africa's leaders to ³come out and protect the
region².

However, Olusegun Obasanjo, president of Nigeria and the African Union's
current chairman, said in London on Wednesday he would ³not be part² of any
public condemnation of Mr Mugabe, although he would offer his ³good offices²
in the country.

African governments recognised that they needed to improve governance,
increase transparency and fight corruption to get more assistance from the
west, Mr Annan said. But he cautioned: ³What is important and what is
lacking on the continent is [a willingness] to comment on wrong policies in
a neighbouring country.²

Anna Tibaijuka, executive secretary of the UN's human settlements programme
and Mr Annan's special envoy, is due to report to him next week on the
controversial urban clearances carried out by Robert Mugabe's government in
Zimbabwe.

Criticising the reluctance of African governments to join the international
outcry against the evictions, which have displaced hundreds of thousands of
people, Mr Annan said: ³I've often tried to tell them they cannot continue
to treat these situations as purely internal. It starts as internal but it
becomes a regional problem. Nobody invests in a bad neighbourhood and if you
have just one or two countries behaving that way, that hurts everybody.²

Fresh from an African Union summit in Libya, Mr Annan said continental
leaders would present the G8 with ³a solid message of what Africa needs².

He rejected the idea that the proposed doubling of aid to Africa would be
wasted. ³What we are talking about is effective, well-targeted assistance
that will have an impact.²

The UN chief said African leaders ³realise they have to create an
environment that will release the energies of their people and encourage
investment².

Leaders would press for an extension of debt relief following the promised
cancellation of multilateral debts for 18 poor countries including 14 in
Africa and Nigeria's recent deal with bilateral creditors, he added.

Mr Annan hoped for ³a good statement² on climate change that would press
developing countries such as India, China and Brazil, which were ³also
culprits² in environmental damage.

>
>
>
 
 
 
Find this article at:
http://news.ft.com/cms/s/1a1de428-ee51-11d9-98e5-00000e2511c8,ft_acl=_ftaler
t_ftarc_ftcol_ftfre_ftindsum_ftmywap_ftprem_ftspecial_ftsurvey_ftworldsub_ft
ym_ftymarc_ic_ipadmintool_nbe_poapp_printedn_psapp_reg,s01=1.html
 
Click Here to Print
     EMAIL THIS | Close
 Check the box to include the list of links referenced in the article.