Closing The Curtain
Filed Under Country Curtain | Posted on November 28, 2008
Former President Jimmy Carter, former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and the wife of former South African President Nelson Mandela were refused entry to Zimbabwe on Saturday. It’s no mystery why: President Robert Mugabe doesn’t want more witnesses to the human catastrophe within his country’s borders.
Zimbabwe’s health minister, Edwin Muguti, estimates that at least $1 billion is needed to establish a functioning health system. If Muguti expects the funding to drip from Mugabe’s hand, he shouldn’t hold his breath.
Zimbabwe is one of the most woebegone places on Earth. Yet Mugabe remains in power, staring down a political opposition that should be running the country. Mugabe stole an election from them. They know it, he knows it, the world knows it.
Tsvangirai recognizes that if he were to accept Mugabe’s terms, they would not share power. Tsvangirai would share only complicity in the extension of Mugabe’s monstrous reign.
Mugabe denied entry to Carter, Annan and Graca Machel, the wife of Mandela. But he can’t keep the rest of the world from noticing.
Diplomatic pressure and an economic squeeze from other nations at least have gotten Mugabe’s attention. He went through the charade of negotiating the power-sharing deal. But the world has to stand behind Tsvangirai. Any deal that allows Mugabe to keep control of Zimbabwe would bring more disaster for its people. He has to go.
Tags: diplomatic pressure, edwin muguti, former president jimmy carter, graca machel, health minister, human catastrophe, political opposition, president nelson mandela, president robert mugabe, secretary general kofi, secretary general kofi annan, south african president, un secretary generalRelated posts
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