Harare (Zimbabwe)  The Zimbabwe Attorney-General’s office is frustrating an agreement reached between President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai for the release of political activists.

“President Mugabe and myself last week agreed that all political detainees who have been formally charged with a crime should be released on bail, and that those who have not been charged should be released unconditionally,” Tsvangirai said at a press briefing in the capital, Harare, on 25 February.

“The Attorney General’s office is wilfully obstructing the release of all detainees by abusing the appeal process, and that must stop forthwith.”

About 30 activists have been detained for allegedly receiving military training in neighbouring Botswana, which has long been critical of Mugabe and his ZANU-PF government. The charge has been strongly denied by the government of President Ian Khama.

The ZANU-PF hardliners are said to be security chiefs and central bank officials, who fear that the emergence of a transparent government could reveal crimes they have committed.

Roy Bennett, Zimbabwe’s deputy agriculture minister designate and treasurer-general of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), remains incarcerated on charges of arms possession and banditry, despite being granted US$2,000 bail by the High Court in Harare on 24 February.

The judge also ordered the former white commercial farmer to surrender travel documents and imposed stringent reporting conditions, after receiving assurances from Tsvangirai that he would ensure Bennett did not abscond from Zimbabwe.

The progress of the unity government – which came into force with the inauguration of Tsvangirai as prime minister on 11 February, after a power-sharing agreement was signed on 15 September 2008 – has been far from smooth.

At the press briefing Tsvangirai also called for the continued farm invasions by ZANU-PF supporters to cease, and said Mugabe’s unilateral appointments of Gideon Gono as central bank governor, and Gen Johannes Tomana as attorney-general, needed to be revisited, as these were contrary to the power-sharing agreement.

The re-appointment by ZANU-PF of the majority of ministerial permanent secretaries without consultation was also contrary to the terms of the deal. “The announcement of permanent secretaries has no force of law, and is therefore null and void,” Tsvangirai said.

source.www.irinnews.org

Johannesburg (South Africa) – United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said yesterday Zimbabwe would get more humanitarian assistance from the international community if President Robert Mugabe stuck to last September’s power-sharing agreement.

Mugabe should also release the country’s political prisoners and detained activists, Ban said.

After months of disagreement over the sharing of ministries and other key posts, a unity government of Mugabe’s Zanu (PF) and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change was sworn in two weeks ago. The deal was seen as a step towards solving Zimbabwe’s economic and humanitarian crisis.

“The Zimbabwean leadership, particularly President Mugabe, should carry out and implement the September 15 power-sharing agreement to its sincerest and fullest way ,” Ban said in Pretoria, at the start of a five-country, nine-day African tour that will see him visit Tanzania, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Egypt.

His comments came on the eve of today’s announcement by Catherine Bragg, the UN assistant secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, who yesterday concluded a five-day visit to Zimbabwe to assess the humanitarian needs of the country, where more than 3000 people died of cholera and more than 83000 were infected.

Finance ministers of the Southern African Development Community member nations are meeting in Cape Town to discuss a request from Harare for emergency assistance.

Tsvangirai indicated last week it would take at least US$5bn to revive his economy.

President Kgalema Motlanthe said the meeting of the regional finance ministers would form the basis of requests to the wider international community for funds.

Ban also said Mugabe should release political prisoners whose numbers include former farmer and deputy agriculture minister-elect Roy Bennett.

“It would be appropriate and a welcome gesture for the leader of Zimbabwe to embrace all different parties and opinions in the country by releasing all the detained people,” he said.

Ban, due to leave SA today , called Zimbabwe’s economic situation “very dire” and the humanitarian situation “worrisome”, and said that the rest of the world was ready to help, but wanted to see clear signs of change for the better.

“The international community, led by the UN, stands by to provide all necessary medical support to the Zimbabwean people. But all these efforts … would get stronger and more support from the international community if we can see progress in the political and national reconciliation.”

source.Business Day (South Africa)- February 26, 2009.

Harare (Zimbabwe) – Zimbabwe is likely to have a new constitution within the next 18 to 24 months after which voters will head back to the polls for fresh elections, President Mugabe has said.

In his traditional birthday interview at Zimbabwe House yesterday, President Mugabe said the inclusive Government bringing together Zanu-PF and the two MDC formations was not a permanent arrangement and in addition to working on economic recovery, would put forward a draft constitution in preparation for the elections. He pointed out that the parties would most likely work with a draft document that has already been agreed upon, which would be subjected to a referendum before any parliamentary procedures could be initiated to give it legal effect.

“We are an interim arrangement, we are not a permanent inclusive Government. Ahead of us is a whole constitutional process which requires that we address the issue of the constitution. There is already a draft that the three parties agreed on, they call it the Kariba Draft because that is where they came up with the document. We shall all look at it and when we are all satisfied, it shall be put to the people in a referendum.

“If the people say yes, then the draft will be allowed to pass through Parliament. The schedule, the timeframe that was agreed on by the parties, was that within 18 to 24 months we should have a referendum. We will then have an election thereafter, perhaps in about two years’ time,” President Mugabe, who turned 85 on February 21, said.

He also said the creation of the inclusive Government did not nullify any statutory appointments legally made in the recent past. This was in apparent reference to the appointment of Mr Johannes Tomana as the Attorney-General and Dr Gideon Gono’s re-appointment as Governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe for another five years.

The President said the appointments had been made legally and the individuals occupying the various offices in question had been vetted by the responsible authorities to ascertain their suitability for the job.

“I do not see any reason why those people should go and they will not go.”

He said the inclusive Government must be united on the principles of national sovereignty and independence, reiterating that land tenure and agrarian reforms were irreversible. Anyone who rejected such principles, the President said, would in turn be rejected by the Government, adding that undue foreign meddling in the country’s affairs would not be tolerated.

He urged members of the inclusive Government to engage each other constructively and follow due procedures when making criticisms of policy or of their fellow officials in the executive. President Mugabe indicated that he would soon meet with the Minister of Finance, Mr Tendai Biti, to discuss the status of the Zimbabwe dollar and the use of foreign currencies, particularly the South African rand.

“I do not see us adopting the rand as our main currency. Even in Sacu, the South African

Customs Union, the members have their own currencies even though they use the rand. Botswana has its pula, Namibia has its dollar, Lesotho, Swaziland, they all have their own currencies.

“But they base them on the rand and that is something that we might consider doing here. At the moment we are using all international currencies. When it was first mooted, the idea of paying people in US dollars, I was against it and I still am because we just do not have enough (foreign currency). It is a problem that confronts us even now. Personally, I think we should revalue the Zimbabwe dollar in a manner that fixes its relationship with the rand for a while. We will protect it for a while, for a while as we increase production. But we should protect it.

“We do not expose it to fluctuations of the market. The problem is that the people of Zimbabwe have become speculators. There are some people who, if you say the (Zimbabwe) dollar is four to one with the rand, they will immediately make it eight to one and 10 to one.

“So there is this escalation on a daily basis. We should fix it (the value of the local currency) legally and keep it there for now. I want to discuss this with Biti. And how do you make it go? Through production in agriculture, manufacturing, mining and the people get goods and services and then we can expose it to the fluctuations of the market,” he said.

* The Herald is the official newspaper of the Zimbabwean government

Source.The Herald (Zimbabwe)* – February 26, 2009.

Gisenyi (Rwanda) – Rwandan troops returned home from the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) Wednesday afternoon and received a rousing welcome from hundreds of jubilant Congolese and Rwandan residents of the border towns of Goma (DRC) and Gisenyi.

The troops were part of operation Umoja Wetu, the joint Rwanda-DRC military offensive against FDLR elements in eastern DRC’s.

A farewell ceremony was held In Goma and was attended by many dignitaries, including Foreign Affairs and Defense Ministers from both countries in addition to the two army’s Chiefs of Staff.

“I wish to tell you how Rwandans are proud of your bravery, your discipline, your sacrifice and your demonstration that so much is possible with such little means if this country’s duty calls, Foreign Affairs’ Rosemary Museminali said, thanking them for a job well done. You have contributed to a strong foundation for both our countries, she told the joint forces.

You have shown our countries that we can rely on you for our protection, for our peace and security. You have shown that we are at our best when we are together and that our strength can be best found in our unity, Museminali noted. “The FARDC from today will continue the work that the joint forces have started, she said, adding that much success was achieved but much remains to be done.

“We appreciate your resolve to remain focused on the joint objective of Umoja Wetu – uprooting FDLR/Interahamwe and returning peace in the region, she reiterated, while also reminding the gathering that the FDLR committed genocide in 1994 . Today, fifteen years on, their appetite to kill, rape, loot, and dehumanize remains undiminished, pointed out Museminali who also thanked North Kivu’s Governor Julien Paluku and his people for welcoming and supporting the joint forces.

DRC Defense Minister, Charles Mwando Nsimba, highlighted that it was a memorable day and underscored that the two countries’ leaders had œput their energies together to eradicate all forms of menaces capable of destabilizing the sub region.

These two countries have decided to fight the regional phenomenon, the FDLR, he said.

He noted the fact that more than five thousand Rwandans, including FDLR elements, were repatriated during the course of the joint military operations and, and congratulated the Commander of the joint operations as well as all the officers of the two armies. Nsimba also firmly promised DRC’s objective to continue where the just concluded joint operations ended and finish the job.

Rwandan Defence Minister Gen. Marcel Gatsinzi, assured the huge Goma gathering that the Rwandan Defence Force will remain ready to help in efforts eradicate any menace to peace and stability in the sub-region.

The reception in Gisenyi town, starting immediately from the common border with Goma, was unmatched as businesses almost came to a standstill as people thronged the main road to welcome the triumphant soldiers.

source.newtimesrwanda