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Zim must 'respect human rights'
17/03/2007 13:33 - (SA)
Addis Ababa - The African Union on Saturday called on Zimbabwe to respect human rights and democratic principles during the political crisis engulfing the country.
AU commission chief Alpha Oumar Konare "recalls the need for the scrupulous respect for human rights and democratic principles in Zimbabwe," the pan-African body said in a statement.
"He urges all concerned parties to commence a sincere and constructive dialogue in order to resolve the problems facing Zimbabwe."
The statement said that Konare had followed recent developments in Zimbabwe with great concern.
Pressure has mounted on Mugabe after police last Sunday crushed an opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) rally in Harare and arrested its leader Morgan Tsvangirai and other opposition activists for defying a police ban.
Police bludgeoned Tsvangirai and several of his supporters while in custody.
Silent diplomacy urged
There has been stiff international condemnation of the police action which critics said was a dramatic escalation of Mugabe's opposition crackdown.
African leaders have urged "silent diplomacy" to address the crisis that forced the southern African nation to pull out of the Commonwealth, despite pressure for regime change from the West.
South African Nobel laureate Desmond Tutu on Friday spoke out against African leaders, saying they should be ashamed over the crisis in Zimbabwe. - Sapa-AFP
- SAPA
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