Liberia: Zim needs 2nd mediator
2008-07-10 19:03
Special Report
Zimbabwe's constitutional affairs minister has cast doubt on President Robert Mugabe's bid to hold elections this year.
A dusty road leads to the village of Wedza, where veterans of Zimbabwe's liberation war eke out a meagre living on their farm cooperative, which after a promising start now brings only despair.
Johannesburg - The Southern African Development Community should appoint a second mediator in Zimbabwe, Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf said on Thursday.
"We hope that they will welcome another outside (mediator) to work with them; some recognised, high-profile personality," Johnson-Sirleaf said at a briefing at Mandela house in Johannesburg.
The SADC had appointed President Thabo Mbeki to mediate in Zimbabwe's political crisis. However his role so far had been criticised.
"We believe that the SADC's continuation is important. They are better placed than any other group," said Johnson-Sirleaf.
She was in the country to deliver the sixth Nelson Mandela annual lecture at Walter Sisulu square in Kliptown, Soweto on Saturday afternoon.
Johnson-Sirleaf said that meeting Mandela would be the highlight of her visit.
"I couldn't ask for more."
- SAPA