Zimbabwe dismisses calls for a unity government
At the African Union summit in Egypt, a spokesman for President Robert Mugabe lashes out at criticism of Zimbabwe's recent elections, saying the West could 'go hang a thousand times.'
CAIRO — As African leaders attempted to finesse an end to Zimbabwe's political crisis, a spokesman for President Robert Mugabe today rejected calls for a unity government and said the West could "go hang a thousand times" for condemning the country's disputed recent elections.
The dilemma of what to do with Zimbabwe and its defiant 84-year-old president spun into a drama of backroom diplomacy and public recriminations during the final day of the African Union summit in the Red Sea Egyptian resort of Sharm el Sheikh. Most African leaders wanted quiet negotiations, but amid cameras in crowded hallways, passions rose among Mugabe's entourage.
The president's spokesman, George Charamba, told reporters that Zimbabwe would not accept a unity government similar to one put in place in Kenya this year after its disputed elections. He rejected the notion that Mugabe would step aside over threats of broader U.N. sanctions following a campaign of violence and intimidation that led opposition candidate Morgan Tsvangirai to boycott last Friday's election.
"Kenya is Kenya. Zimbabwe is Zimbabwe. We have our own history of evolving dialogue and resolving political impasses the Zimbabwean way," Charamba said. "The Zimbabwean way, not the Kenyan way. Not at all."
He added: "The way out is a way defined by the Zimbabwe people, free from outside interference, and that is exactly what will resolve the matter."
When asked about Western criticism of the election, much of it coming from the United States and Britain, the spokesman said: "They can go hang a thousand times, they have no basis, they have no claim on Zimbabwe politics at all."
He added that Mugabe "came here as president of Zimbabwe and he will leave here as president of Zimbabwe."
The 53-member nation African Union was expected to release a statement on the Zimbabwe crisis later today. The nations are divided on how tough a line to take with the president, who has ruled Zimbabwe since it gained independence from Britain in 1980 and is revered as a post-colonial hero by many on the continent. A number of countries in the union, including Egypt and Libya, have also been criticized over the years by human rights groups and Western governments for political oppression, torture and jailing opposition figures.
Some leaders, such as Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga, wanted harsh action from the union against Mugabe. "They should suspend him and send peace forces to Zimbabwe to ensure free and fair elections," Odinga said from Nairobi, his country's capital.
But President Omar Bongo of Gabon said the union must respect Zimbabwe's election results. He was quoted by Agence France-Presse as saying Mugabe "was elected, he took an oath, and he is here with us, so he is president and we cannot ask him more."
The day was tense, and, at one point, television networks showed Mugabe walking through the hall of the Sharm el Sheikh convention center before cameras and microphones closed in, forcing his bodyguards to push reporters away and secure the leader in a lock room.
jeffrey.fleishman@latimes.com
