If you read my previous blog post.. this is kind of the UN’s response to helping Zimbabwe…
In its first statement publicly condemning the conduct of Zimbabwe’s presidential election, the United Nations Security Council has placed the blame for violence, intimidation and the denial of free campaigning squarely on the Zimbabwean government. South Africa and China were among the countries which agreed to a unanimous statement, announced by this month’s president of the council, Zalmay Khalilzad of the United States.
The statement said, in part, that “the Security Council… condemns the actions of the Government of Zimbabwe that have denied its political opponents the right to campaign freely, and calls upon the Government of Zimbabwe to stop the violence, to cease political intimidation, to end the restrictions on the right of assembly and to release the political leaders who have been detained.”
Earlier the UN’s Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, B. Lynn Pascoe, reported to the council that there was a “staggering degree of violence” in Zimbabwe. According to a council press release, he said there was ample evidence it had been perpetrated by “a combination of State agencies, war veterans and youth militias.” Although there had been retaliatory violence by the MDC, it was “of a much lesser degree.”
In its statement, the council said the campaign of violence against, and restrictions on, the political opposition have made it impossible for this Friday’s presidential run-off election to be free and fair.
In a phrase which augurs badly for any hope President Robert Mugabe may have of winning foreign support if he claims a mandate on the basis of the run-off, the council said it “further considers that, to be legitimate, any government of Zimbabwe must take account of the interests of all its citizens.”
However, the council recognised the legitimacy of the March 29 elections, in which the opposition Movement for Democratic Change won control of Parliament, and in which the MDC’s Morgan Tsvangirai drew more votes than Mugabe.
It called for a reversal of the decision, and for the government to cooperate with efforts “aimed at finding a peaceful way forward, through dialogue between the parties, that allows a legitimate government to be formed that reflects the will of the Zimbabwean people.”
I think it is really great that the international community has finally recognized the problems going on in Zimbabwe. It is really important that the UN and US facilitate and ensure that the people of Zimbabwe are finally able to choose their own leader for the first time without being killed for their choice. Zimbabwe is dealing with an illegitimate government that sabotaged the democratic process of it’s country to hold onto power… and hopefully in the future weeks Mugabes reign of terror will be over and he will step down.
June 30, 2008 at 6:35 pm
I am interested to see if in future weeks Mugabe steps down from rule. I hope the Zimbabwe people will be able to choose there own leader through non-sabotaged democratic processes. I agree with you that the UN and US must ensure this happens. Hopefully progress there will help facilitate more progress in other parts of Africa!