Supporters hail Mugabe on return from summit

[Jahness]

Supporters hail Mugabe on return from summit

by Susan Njanji

Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe arrived home to a hero's welcome from thousands of supporters Friday after avoiding serious censure at an African Union summit over his widely condemned one-man election.

Some 4,000 supporters gathered at Harare airport to welcome the 84-year-old leader, who returned after AU leaders shunned calls for his suspension or the imposition of sanctions over Zimbabwe's political crisis and instead passed a resolution calling for the formation of a national unity government.

The crowd on the airport tarmac sang, danced, played campaign music and waved Zimbabwe flags as Mugabe's flew in from Cairo.

"We realise that our country almost went to the colonialists through the MDC but we have managed to take it back," said a Mugabe supporter who gave his name as Comrade Chitenje, referring to the opposition Movement for Democratic Change.

"That's why so many have come out today. It's an historic moment."

Olivia Muchena, a spokeswoman for Mugabe's ZANU-PF party, said "we are reaffirming the landslide victory. We are welcoming our hero back with love and honour."

The AU summit held in Egypt earlier this week came on the heels of Zimbabwe's one-man election last Friday that opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai boycotted, citing rising violence against his supporters he blamed on Mugabe thugs and which left some 90 dead and thousands injured.

Mugabe's government hailed the AU resolution and said it is open to dialogue with the opposition, while Tsvangirai has rejected the calls for a national unity government, saying it does not recognise the will of the people.

The opposition leader has said the resolution merely accommodates Mugabe after much of the world dismissed his reelection as a farce, and that the MDC's victory in the first round of the election should be the basis for any talks.

Tsvangirai beat Mugabe in the March 29 first round, but with an official vote total just short of an outright majority.

Western calls for sanctions have intensified following the election and Mugabe's swearing in for a sixth term on Sunday, though South African President Thabo Mbeki, chief mediator for the crisis, has warned against imposing a solution from the outside.

On Thursday, the United States pushed for a UN travel ban and an assets freeze on Mugabe and 13 of his cronies in protest at the presidential runoff vote.

US Ambassador to the UN Zalmay Khalilzad formally introduced a sanctions resolution, also including an arms embargo on the Harare regime, in the Security Council, and said he hoped it would be voted upon by the 15-member body next week.

The US draft would also direct UN chief Ban Ki-moon to appoint a special representative "who would support the negotiation process between the political parties in Zimbabwe."

Diplomatic sources said former UN secretary general Kofi Annan, who helped broker a power-sharing agreement in Kenya last February, former Mozambican president Joaquim Chissano, Nigerian ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo and Ghanaian President John Kufuor were being considered for the mission.

While some African leaders, including Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga, have openly condemned Mugabe, criticism from the continent has remained limited.

Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa, a harsh critic of Mugabe, was not able to participate in the AU debates after suffering a stroke. He remained hospitalised on Friday.

The crisis has also impacted sport, with the International Cricket Council deeply divided over whether to keep Zimbabwe as a full member.

After sitting for an unscheduled third day, the ICC Executive Board agreed to keep Zimbabwe in its fold after the African nation acceded to India's request to pull out of next year's World Twenty20 championships in England.

Supporters hail Mugabe on return from summit

by Susan Njanji 49 minutes ago

Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe arrived home to a hero's welcome from thousands of supporters Friday after avoiding serious censure at an African Union summit over his widely condemned one-man election.

Some 4,000 supporters gathered at Harare airport to welcome the 84-year-old leader, who returned after AU leaders shunned calls for his suspension or the imposition of sanctions over Zimbabwe's political crisis and instead passed a resolution calling for the formation of a national unity government.

The crowd on the airport tarmac sang, danced, played campaign music and waved Zimbabwe flags as Mugabe's flew in from Cairo.

"We realise that our country almost went to the colonialists through the MDC but we have managed to take it back," said a Mugabe supporter who gave his name as Comrade Chitenje, referring to the opposition Movement for Democratic Change.

"That's why so many have come out today. It's an historic moment."

Olivia Muchena, a spokeswoman for Mugabe's ZANU-PF party, said "we are reaffirming the landslide victory. We are welcoming our hero back with love and honour."

The AU summit held in Egypt earlier this week came on the heels of Zimbabwe's one-man election last Friday that opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai boycotted, citing rising violence against his supporters he blamed on Mugabe thugs and which left some 90 dead and thousands injured.

Mugabe's government hailed the AU resolution and said it is open to dialogue with the opposition, while Tsvangirai has rejected the calls for a national unity government, saying it does not recognise the will of the people.

The opposition leader has said the resolution merely accommodates Mugabe after much of the world dismissed his reelection as a farce, and that the MDC's victory in the first round of the election should be the basis for any talks.

Tsvangirai beat Mugabe in the March 29 first round, but with an official vote total just short of an outright majority.

Western calls for sanctions have intensified following the election and Mugabe's swearing in for a sixth term on Sunday, though South African President Thabo Mbeki, chief mediator for the crisis, has warned against imposing a solution from the outside.

On Thursday, the United States pushed for a UN travel ban and an assets freeze on Mugabe and 13 of his cronies in protest at the presidential runoff vote.

US Ambassador to the UN Zalmay Khalilzad formally introduced a sanctions resolution, also including an arms embargo on the Harare regime, in the Security Council, and said he hoped it would be voted upon by the 15-member body next week.

The US draft would also direct UN chief Ban Ki-moon to appoint a special representative "who would support the negotiation process between the political parties in Zimbabwe."

Diplomatic sources said former UN secretary general Kofi Annan, who helped broker a power-sharing agreement in Kenya last February, former Mozambican president Joaquim Chissano, Nigerian ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo and Ghanaian President John Kufuor were being considered for the mission.

While some African leaders, including Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga, have openly condemned Mugabe, criticism from the continent has remained limited.

Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa, a harsh critic of Mugabe, was not able to participate in the AU debates after suffering a stroke. He remained hospitalised on Friday.

The crisis has also impacted sport, with the International Cricket Council deeply divided over whether to keep Zimbabwe as a full member.

After sitting for an unscheduled third day, the ICC Executive Board agreed to keep Zimbabwe in its fold after the African nation acceded to India's request to pull out of next year's World Twenty20 championships in England.

Supporters hail Mugabe on return from summit - Yahoo! News

Copyright © 2008 Agence France Presse.

[Langalibalele]

Good work, Sista Jahness! Of course the Imperialists and their lackeys are going crazy! Cde Mugabe is the greatest figurehead in the Black Liberation Movement. He doesnt walk on water, but we can make the enemy believe we think he does. And as long as the enemy thinks we are stupid, they will make mistakes and we will expose them. Zimbabwe is suffering not because of Mugabe or ZANU-PF or because they dusted the neo-colonialist MDC, but because Imperialism is a world political system. And the suffering for Southern Africa has not seen its worse. It is our responsibility to make Imperialism back off -- and pay for its disdain of our revolution -- by staying on top of these issues and defending the liberated African states. Amandla!
AWETU!

Iskandar