AU hails Mbeki's mediation
2008-08-16 14:36
Special Report
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, accused of ethnic cleansing and bankrupting his country, has been appointed by the UN to become the new international envoy for tourism, a report says.
Johannesburg - African Union Commission chief Jean Ping on Saturday saluted President Thabo Mbeki's mediation efforts in Zimbabwe in comments made at the opening of a regional summit.
"I express my gratitude to President Thabo Mbeki for the tireless efforts that he has shown in helping our Zimbabwean brothers overcome their differences and to take on in the interest of Zimbabweans the new challenges that confront their country," Ping said.
The AU was working closely with the 14-nation Southern African Development Community and Mbeki on the issue, he said in remarks at SADC's summit.
On Friday, Ping said the AU was keeping an eye on the negotiations.
"If a sub-region succeeds to solve a problem in a country of the same region, we will applaud," he said. "But we monitor, we have to watch. Shouldn't the process be successful, we will intervene."
Zimbabwe's political crisis was high on the agenda of the regional summit, with President Robert Mugabe and his arch-rival, opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, both in attendance.
- AFP