Mugabe to sign deals in Namibia
2007-02-26 22:41
Harare - Zimbabwe's embattled President Robert Mugabe is to start a two-day visit on Tuesday to Namibia where he will hold talks with his counterpart Hifikepunye Pohamba and sign a series of bilateral agreements.
Mugabe, under mounting pressure at home over the collapse of the Zimbabwean economy, will be making a rare foray outside Harare by travelling to Windhoek for his first visit there since the veteran Namibian leader Sam Nujoma stood down in 2005.
Nujoma and Mugabe, who both led their countries after they gained independence, were close allies, but relations with Pohamba have been cooler.
Zimbabwe's information minister Sikhanyiso Ndlovu said the visit would symbolise the enduring friendship between the two southern African nations.
"It's a further strengthening of relations between our two countries which date back even before our independence," he said.
"The visit is partly to share and exchange ideas on issues affecting both countries, and the continent as a whole, as well as to sign protocol agreements in areas of industry and commerce."
- SAPA