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Help Zim, Miliband told
07/07/2008 17:35 - (SA)
Cape Town - United Democratic Movement (UDM) leader Bantu Holomisa has urged British Foreign Secretary David Miliband, currently in SA, to visit Zimbabwe on his way home to facilitate a meeting between the parties.
"It is a pity that the UK Foreign Secretary on his return to Britain will fly over Zimbabwe without landing," Holomisa said on Monday.
Miliband should stop over in Zimbabwe to arrange a meeting between his Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Presidents Thabo Mbeki and Robert Mugabe, and Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai.
"That is where the ultimate resolution of the political crisis in Zimbabwe lies," Holomisa said on Monday.
Britain was one country that should be working closely with the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to find a solution to the Zimbabwean crisis.
This was especially so given the fact that the Zimbabwean land issue arose from the Lancaster House agreement between Britain and Zimbabwe, wherein Britain was accused of not honouring its compensation commitments.
UK supports Mbeki
"A lot was expected when Gordon Brown became UK Prime Minister.
"It was hoped that a new approach to Zimbabwe would be followed, but thus far it seems that he is perpetuating his predecessor's strategy of making Zimbabwe SA's sole responsibility, and we end up shouldering the blame for the failures of the Lancaster House agreement between the UK and Zimbabwe."
The UK claimed to support Mbeki's initiative in Zimbabwe, but at the same time called for sanctions.
Those sanctions would hit ordinary Zimbabweans, not the politicians at the top, and the stream of people fleeing from Zimbabwe to SA would increase, thereby putting further strain on SA's ability to meet the socio-economic needs of its own people.
"The time of using SA to fight Britain's battles must come to an end," Holomisa said.
- SAPA
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Zimbabwe Special Report
