No, Mbeki, we're embarrassed

[claidheamhmor]

According to this article, "South Africa" welcomes the decision of the UN to not impose sanctions against Zimbabwe.

No, Ronnie Mamoepa, ordinary South Africans are deeply embarrassed by the loving behaviour shown by President Thabo Mbeki towards dictator Robert Mugabe. We're ashamed of our leaders. Fellow Africans in Zimbabwe have been denied their right to democracy, and to everything that goes with it, and I don't see why there shouldn't be an arms embargo, and sanctions against Zimbabwean ZANU-PF leaders.

What sort of "dialogue" can there be with a dictator who has stated he will never step down if the opposition party is democratically elected, and continues to arrange and facilitate the death an oppression of other political parties and ordinary citizens?

SA welcomes UN sanction vote
12/07/2008 09:47 - (SA)

Johannesburg - South Africa welcomed the decision of the United Nations Security Council not to impose sanctions against Zimbabwe, foreign affairs said on Saturday.

Spokesperson Ronnie Mamoepa said SA voted against the draft resolution on Friday, in accordance with the African Union Summit of head of states and government decision to "encourage President Robert Mugabe and the leader of the MDC to honour their commitment to initiate dialogue with view to promote peace, stability, democracy and reconciliation of the Zimbabwean people".

He said South Africa was facilitating talks between Zanu-PF, the MDC of Morgan Tsvangarai and MDC of Arthur Mutambara, in Pretoria.

"It is our considered view that imposing sanctions would indeed have impacted negatively on the current process among the Zimbabwean political parties. In addition both SADC and AU have not called for sanctions," he said.

The AU summit in Egypt had appealed to states and all parties concern to refrain from any action that could negatively impact on the climate for dialogue.

The UN Security Council wanted to impose sanction against Zimbabwe including a travel ban and asset freeze on President Robert Mugabe and other individuals.

Russia and China vetoed proposed sanctions on Zimbabwe's leaders, rejecting US efforts to step up punitive measures against President Robert Mugabe's authoritarian regime after a widely discredited presidential election.

Mamoepa said the role of the international community at this juncture should be to encourage the Zimbabwean political parties to deepen and consolidate the current dialogue process, as facilitated by SADC.

Source: News24

Comments

[salambander.livejournal.com]

I definitely don't support Mugabe, in fact, I think he should be shot in the foot, then strung up by the balls and tarred and feathered before being set alight, roasted, and then eaten by rabid pitbulls.

But sanctions won't get rid of him. Zimbabwe (the people) is already suffering from food shortages - blocking trade will only make the economy worse and so the people will keep suffering while Mugabe stays fat on expensive, imported food.

So yeah, I support the UN's decision. They need to find another way to sort this out. Sanctions only work on leaders who actually care about the welfare of their people.

[claidheamhmor]

The sanctions, I believe, were to put in place an arms embargo, and to restrict the movements and bank accounts of Mugabe and his top 11 people. That could only be a good thing.

I wouldn't support sanctions targeted at the average Zimbabwean citizen. (Though Bob has done a thorough enough job of destroying the economy already).

[salambander.livejournal.com]

Ah, I see your point there, didn't know the specifics about the sanctions.

In that case... *grabs shotgun and goes after Mbeki too*

[yasutani.livejournal.com]

there is a cynical voice in my head that says: "But with an arms embargo, russia and chian could not milk the regime in exchange for weapons..."

[iskender.livejournal.com]

Yeah. Restricting weapons deals to a regime that has shown a willingness to use violence to put down peaceful democratic activity... That keeps money in the country. It doesn't restrict its ability to trade whatsoever and, unlike some other sanctions, I wholly support it.

Too bad we're all caught up in election frenzy. I know America has about as much right as France to say what should happen in Africa (after the Cold War, we were as culpable in the imposition of tyranny and the spread of warfare as the old colonialists, if you ask me), but it'd just be nice to actually put some attention on what's going on there. Heck, at least we made some noise about Sudan before totally forgetting about it.

Ah well.