Zimbabwe 'a sinking Titanic' !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Daanyeer]

Source: Guardian Unlimited
March 21, 2007

African leaders must take a tougher stance against Robert Mugabe's regime to prevent Zimbabwe falling further into economic and political turmoil, the Zambian president has said.

Likening Zimbabwe to a "sinking Titanic", President Levy Mwanawasa said the Southern African Development Community (SADC) had achieved little through negotiations with President Mugabe.

"Quiet diplomacy has failed to help solve the political chaos and economic meltdown in Zimbabwe," said Mr Mwanawasa late on Monday in neighbouring Namibia.

"As I speak right now, one SADC country has sunk into such economic difficulties that it may be likened to a sinking Titanic whose passengers are jumping out in a bid to save their lives."

Mr Mwanawasa's comments come after a brutal crackdown by Zimbabwean police against members of the main opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change. About 50 people including Morgan Tsvangirai, the opposition leader, were beaten and arrested while trying to attend a prayer rally two weeks ago, and an unofficial state of emergency has since been imposed by the police.

The crackdown prompted a sit-in protest at the Zimbabwean embassy in London today. A Metropolitan Police spokeswoman said the protest, by about 10 men and women, was non-violent. "We are liaising with the ambassador to try to bring this to a peaceful conclusion," she said.

The Zambian president stands virtually alone among southern African leaders in his willingness to criticise Mr Mugabe, regarded by many on the continent as a liberation hero but condemned in the west for his violent suppression of opposition and for the economic crisis in Zimbabwe.

"Zambia has so far been an advocate of quiet diplomacy and continues to believe in it. But the twist of events in the troubled country necessitates the adoption of a new approach," Mr Mwanawasa said.

Other regional leaders have remained largely silent on Zimbabwe. Mr Mugabe says he is being punished by the west for his policy of seizing white-owned farms to give to landless black Zimbabweans.

The South African government's perceived silence has led to criticism from Zimbabwe's archbishop, Pius Ncube. "They [South African leaders] are in the best position to put pressure on Zimbabwe, to call for sanctions if necessary," he told the South African Broadcasting Corporation. "They could force Mugabe to change but they have been [only] watching this thing."

Zambian government newspapers reported that regional foreign ministers and leaders will meet in the next few days to discuss worsening conditions in Zimbabwe, although there has been no official announcement. The papers also quoted Mr Mwanawasa as suggesting the SADC "would soon take a stand" on the crisis.

The SADC council of non-governmental organisations also said it was time for the group to act. In a statement the council said: "We believe that the crisis has reached a point where Zimbabweans need to be strongly persuaded and directly assisted to find an urgent solution to the crisis that affects the entire region."

South Africa, the most powerful country in southern Africa, has said it is concerned about "deteriorating" conditions in Zimbabwe but insists Zimbabweans must find their own solutions to the country's problems.

Western countries have vowed to maintain pressure on Mr Mugabe despite his threats to expel their diplomats if they continue to criticise his government.

Britain and the US have called for more sanctions against the Mugabe regime, which is battling its worst economic crisis in decades with inflation at more than 1,700%, unemployment at 80% and regular shortages of food, fuel and foreign exchange.