SOUTH AFRICA: Zimbabwe crisis tops the agenda, as British PM Blair holds talks with South African President Mbeki

Record ID: 455276

  • Title: SOUTH AFRICA: Zimbabwe crisis tops the agenda, as British PM Blair holds talks with South African President Mbeki
  • Date: 2nd June 2007
  • Summary: SOUTH AFRICA'S PRESIDENT THABO MBEKI AND BRITISH PRIME MINISTER TONY BLAIR WALKING TO ATTEND NEWS CONFERENCE
  • Embargoed: 17th June 2007 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: South Africa
  • Country: South Africa
  • Topics: International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVA18QSUSFAZO2KCXD1M74PX711I
  • Story Text: British Prime Minister Tony Blair says he fully supports South Africa's efforts to mediate in Zimbabwe's escalating political crisis, saying any solution to the stand-off must come from within Africa. British Prime Minister Tony Blair met with South African President Thabo Mbeki on Friday (June 1), in the country's capital Pretoria, on the last day of his final tour of Africa as Britain's leader.
    Blair said Mbeki and his regional colleagues were best placed to encourage change by President Robert Mugabe's authoritarian government.
    Southern African leaders have named Mbeki to mediate in Zimbabwe's crisis, where critics accuse Mugabe of a draconian crackdown against his political opponents led by the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). Zimbabwe police arrested and badly beat MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai and other MDC members in March after they tried to attend a prayer rally, and opposition leaders and rights activists say the repression continues across the country.
    Mbeki -- who has tried and failed to bring Mugabe's ruling ZANU-PF and the MDC to talks in the past -- has said he believes the current mediation is going well, although there has as yet been little public sign of progress.
    "There are problems affecting the Zimbabwe economy...the secretariat of the development committee in the region should have a close detailed look at the Zimbabwe economy, with the view to reporting back as to what might be done to address the challenges, the economic challenges of Zimbabwe," Mbeki said at a news conference.
    British Prime Minister Tony Blair added that what was most important was to improve the condition of the people of Zimbabwe.
    "I think people also know that in the end the solution is an African solution for Zimbabwe and that's why I welcome very much the work that President Mbeki is undertaking on behalf of SADC," Blair added. The British prime minister also called for the release of release of the kidnapped British journalist Alan Johnston.
    "I do urge those who are holding him to release him. He's a journalist, doing his work out there, he's somebody who's known for his independence," Blair said.
    The kidnapped BBC Gaza correspondent said in a video posted on an Islamist Web site on Friday (June 1) he was in good health and being treated well by his captors, in the first message from him since militants abducted him in the Palestinian enclave 11 weeks ago.
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