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Zim 'ready' to talk
10/04/2008 08:26 - (SA)
Harare - Zimbabwe's government downplayed ongoing uncertainty about presidential poll results ahead of an unscheduled meeting of its neighbours on the crisis, state media reported on Thursday.
Information Minister Sikhanyiso Ndlovu said Zimbabwe was ready to inform the Southern African Development Community (SADC) of political developments on the ground, during an extraordinary summit called in Zambia on Saturday.
"That's normal within SADC community to call for meetings. We are neighbours and that is the spirit of SADC to meet and consider anything," Ndlovu told the state-run Herald newspaper.
"We are waiting for ZEC (Zimbabwe Electoral Commission) to do its work, verifying the results because it should announce the correct results, so we don't see any problem."
Harmonised election
Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa, chairperson of the 14-nation SADC, on Wednesday announced he was calling southern African leaders together to "discuss ways and means of assisting the people of Zimbabwe."
International pressure was mounting for Zimbabwe to release the outcome of presidential results, 12 days after polling.
The outcome of the parliamentary poll saw President Robert Mugabe lose control of the majority in his worst defeat in 28 years of power.
The winner of the presidency was not yet known as election officials maintained they were still busy collating and verifying votes.
Ndlovu said: "We have conducted a harmonised election, the first of its kind in the world, it was a mammoth task.
"SADC observers were here and more than 300 journalists and western countries have admitted that their predictions of them not being free and fair had been proven wrong."
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