Friday, March 29, 2024

Levy arrives in Dar’ for SADC meeting

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President Mwanawasa has arrived in the Tanzanian capital Dar Es-Salaam to join other SADC heads of state and government for an extra ordinary summit designed to thrash out a number of outstanding political and security issues in the region.

Briefing the Zambian press ahead of the president’s arrival, Zambia’s High Commissioner to Tanzania Professor Royson Mukwena said the meeting arises from a recommendation of a SADC foreign ministers’ meeting held in Maseru on March 21 and
22 this year.

Professor Mukwena said the two-day summit to be chaired by Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete at Kempiski Kilimanjaro hotel, starts tonight with the Double Troika meeting to prepare the agenda for the main summit tomorrow.

The double troika is a combination of the sub-committee of the SADC responsible for defence, security and peace under the chairmanship of Tanzania. The other members of the Troika are Namibia and Angola.

The High Commissioner explained that the main Troika comprises Lesotho, Zambia and Botswana.

Professor Mukwena said the political situation in Zimbabwe is expected to feature prominently on the summit’s agenda.

Meanwhile, the local media here have praised President Mwanawasa for being the only head of state in the region who has spoken openly on the Zimbabwean situation so
far.

A columnist in the citizen newspaper has described Mr. Mwanawasa as a true friend of Zimbabwe and that Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe would do well to listen and appreciate what Mr. Mwanawasa has said about his country.

On arrival at Julius Nyerere International Airport, Mr. Mwanawasa was warmly received by Dr. Batilda Burian who is minister of state in the office of the Prime Minister.

Also on hand to welcome the Zambian leader who is accompanied by foreign affairs minister Mundia Sikatana, was Zambia’s High Commissioner to Tanzania Professor Mukwena and other senior embassy officials.

ZANIS

4 COMMENTS

  1. I really hope this is a stepping stone towards the achievement of peace and democracy in Zimbabwe. Much as former Zambia’s heads of state have criticized Mr. Mwanawasa, we need to give credit where its due. If people do not talk, how do we expect to hear there cry? If there cries are not heard, how do we intend to find solutions to their problems. I think this summit is a well meant one and that issues on the political situation in Zimbabwe will be discussed at length, and possible interventions will be proposed and implemented. History has it that Zambia has always played a major role in the political as well as democratic dispensation of Zimbabwe and this is just that other time that Zambia’s input is much needed.

  2. President Mwanawasa’s stand on the Zimbabwean issue is highly commendable. You’ve got to have guts to stand for what is right for humanity. The policy of quiet diplomacy does not work in this part of the world. The old politics of heroism patronage must be consigned to the gutter, it has not place in contemporary politics.

    There’s no normal person who would wish to see his/her neighbour in anguish and stands aloof with arms folded and dumb founded. Speaking out against aggressors and perpetrators of dictatoship is the only way out. All those so called former…. who have condemned Mr Mwanawasa for his stand have a record of being terrible dictators during their prime days.

    Alluta continua

  3. The current situation in Zimbabwe has come this far because Mugabe’s fellow statesmen endowed with the political leverage were either in total agreement or were silent accomplices. The realisable benefits of closing the barn doors after the horse has already bolted are obvious. And bearing in mind that the time frame for Mugabe to step down is like next year, the mathamatics of deeply entrenched and institutionalised African destitution are here manifest. Unless this indaba can move to make Mugabe step down IMMEDIATELY, now now so and dismantle the ZANU-PF machinery, they might as well just go and sit on the dirty Dar-es-salaam beaches and count pebbles. We should not give these self-serving Mugabe subscribers credit until we see the resolutions they come up with because it is as a direct result of their silence that Zimbabwe, that once upon a time bird of bright plummage, has reached this crisis. I will not be swayed by high sounding meetings until I know and gauge their plans.

  4. I doubt if anything will come out of dar, because non of the African leaders are willing to show that they are not in support of Mugabe’s stand, and given a choice they too would treat their opponents in the same manner,from what the bbc is alluding the leaders are urging mbeki to make a stand which they could have done by e-mailing mbeki.
    The stance of showing the west that youre trying to do something when in the actual fact you dont have any solutions is not good enough.
    Mugabe has to be told the truth by all hes neighbours.

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