Zimbabwe's Ex-Opposition MDC Mulls Break With Gov't

HARARE, Zimbabwe -- Zimbabwe's former opposition party said Monday it would boycott the next Cabinet meeting and was considering disengaging from a troubled, four-month-old unity government with President Robert Mugabe.

The Movement for Democratic Change has complained about continued harassment and arrests of Mugabe's opponents and his unilateral appointments of top officials.

Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, bitter rivals, formed their coalition in February, pressed by neighbors to end a decade of violent confrontation and work together to resolve the southern African nation's severe economic crisis.

MDC Vice President Thokozani Khupe said the latest irritant came Monday, when Mugabe rescheduled the weekly Cabinet meeting from Wednesday to Monday because he was going to be out of town for an African Union summit in Libya. At a news conference, Khupe depicted that as a snub to Tsvangirai, her party's leader, saying he should have chaired the meeting in Mugabe's absence.

Mugabe's party "has not welcomed MDC as an equal partner," said Khupe, a deputy prime minister in the unity government.

Khupe said her party would boycott the rescheduled Cabinet meeting, but remained "committed to the (coalition) agreement in the interest of our people" despite "clear evidence of the absence of a reliable and honest partner."

She did not say when MDC ministers would resume attending Cabinet meetings.
"It is our constitutional right to consider disengagement," she said. "It is time toxicity and insanity are removed (from the coalition)."

The MDC has asked the Southern African Development Community, which pushed for the coalition government to be formed, to intervene. It is asking for help in resolving issues such as Mugabe's appointment of loyalists as the central bank governor and the attorney general, the arrests of and attacks on independent rights activists and MDC lawmakers, and the seizures of white-owned farms.

Khupe said Mugabe loyalists had also frustrated democratic and media reforms.
The Southern African Development Community, though, has said it did not see a reason to step in now.

Zimbabwe PM Rules out Reviving Worthless Local Currency

JOHANNESBURG (AFP) — Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai on Saturday ruled out reviving in the short term the worthless local currency scrapped earlier this year to beat world record inflation.

But his comments clashed with veteran leader Robert Mugabe's assertions to the contrary a day earlier, highlighting the uneasy relationship between the two former arch-foes currently sharing power in a unity government.

"For economic reasons, there is no way you can resort to the Zimbabwean dollar currency in a situation of low production," Tsvangirai told a news conference in Johannesburg.

"You have to increase your productivity levels from the current 10 percent to about 50-60 percent, otherwise you slide back to... inflation," he said.

"It is impracticable to talk about even resorting to a currency which is worthless at this stage.
"There are no plans yet. There are discussions" to revive the Zimbabwe dollar, which was once on a par with the British pound but is now arguably the world's most useless currency.

Mugabe however Friday said the local money should be revived as multiple currencies introduced earlier this year to beat inflation were not helping the plight of the people.

"Yes, prices may have gone down but the people should have the money," the state-controlled Herald newspaper quoted Mugabe as saying.

"If they don't have the money, how will they buy the goods? We can't run a country like that. We are considering changing that and reverting to our own currency."

The government allowed shops and service providers to trade in foreign currency, mainly the US dollar and the South African rand, to help businesses acquire stocks from neighbouring countries.

Before the introduction of other currencies, most shops resembled empty warehouses as businesses failed to restock because of constantly changing prices.

Faced with a worsening economic crisis and political tensions, Zimbabwe's three main political rivals have formed a power-sharing agreement aimed at reviving the economy and easing tensions.

Zimbabwe's Mines Minister Barred From Britain

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Zimbabwe's mines minister, who is on a list of officials close to President Robert Mugabe barred from the West, has been kept from attending an investment conference in London, state radio and British officials said Tuesday.

British officials in Harare said Obert Mpofu was denied a visa to travel to the African mining meeting where he was scheduled to make a speech Tuesday.

Mpofu is among politicians and leaders of Mugabe's party targeted under travel restrictions imposed by Britain, the European Union and the United States. The travel restrictions, freezes on overseas bank accounts held by Mugabe cronies, and a study ban keeping their children from enrolling in foreign schools are meant to punish Mugabe for abusing human and democratic rights.

State radio said leaders of Mugabe's ZANU-PF party accused Western governments of arrogance for barring party members from participating in a re-engagement campaign led by former opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who is prime minister in a coalition government formed in February and is and currently touring Western capitals.

In London, Tsvangirai was scheduled to address the International Mining in Africa conference from which Mpofu was barred. The conference is focusing on investment opportunities in Zimbabwe.

Tsvangirai's party held a meeting of its national executive committee in Harare on Tuesday and announced it will seek help from regional leaders on continuing disputes in the fragile coalition government.

Tapiwa Mashakada, the party's acting secretary general, cited bias in the state media against the party and Tsvangirai's foreign trip, and more arrests and prosecutions of party activists and lawmakers.

He said the state media favored Mugabe's ZANU-PF and undermined Tsvangirai's efforts abroad.

"If this inclusive government is going to succeed, the media should project the spirit of the day, but it is attacking and belittling the prime minister in very toxic language," Mashakada said.

China Justifies UN Veto Over Zimbabwe Sanctions

HARARE (Xinhua) -- China's veto of proposed sanctions against Zimbabwe by the United States and Britain last year has been vindicated by the formation of the inclusive government, outgoing Chinese Ambassador Yuan Nansheng said on Tuesday.

Addressing a press conference on the eve of his departure to a new posting in Suriname, Yuan said it was likely that Zimbabwe could not have proceeded to form an inclusive government without the vetoes by China and Russia.

"China vetoed the resolution under two considerations. The first one was that China adopted the same position with the African Union and SADC and most African countries, especially the neighboring countries to Zimbabwe. As far as I know, SADC and the African Union did not wish to have passed this resolution," Yuan said.

"Second, China vetoed because we wish to create a better environment for Zimbabwe internationally and domestically and I cannot imagine that without the veto, the inclusive government of Zimbabwe would have been established," he added.

Yuan said he remembered Zanu PF chief negotiator Patrick Chinamasa saying that among the intentions of the proposed sanctions was the issuing of travel bans to members of his party.

"So how can the representatives of Zanu PF like Chinamasa, (Nicholas) Goche and (Oppah) Muchinguri not go to South Africa and make the discussions with their (MDC) counterparts and how would South Africa have done their coordination job? So history has proved that the veto by China and Russia has provided a great foundation for the establishment of Zimbabwe's inclusive government and the better situation in Zimbabwe and the better international image of Zimbabwe," he said.

Britain and the United States last year attempted to have the UN Security Council impose sanctions on the country, citing bad governance and absence of the rule of law.

However, China and Russia vetoed the proposed resolution, arguing that SADC and AU initiatives which had already gathered momentum should be given a chance.

Britain Pledges More Aid To Zimbabwe - But Insists On Further Reform

Nearing the end of his European tour, Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai met on Monday with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, formally bringing to a close years of frosty bilateral relations between Harare and London.

Mr. Brown noted in a joint news briefing following his 10 Downing Street meeting with Mr. Tsvangirai that it had been 25 years since a Zimbabwean and British prime minister stood side by side.

Like other leaders including U.S. President Barack Obama have done during Mr. Tsvangirai's tour seeking political re-engagement and financial support, the British prime minister praised Mr. Tsvangirai’s “courage...determination...strength of character and fortitude."

Mr. Brown announced new aid to Zimbabwe in the amount of 5 million pounds (US$8.2 million) taking British aid to the country this year to more than 60 million pounds. Mr. Brown said the new funding will go to food and school books.

However, much as other Western leaders have done, Mr. Brown insisted that Britain needed to see Zimbabwe taking "further rapid steps forward" in implementing political and economic reforms before it would significantly expand support of the Harare government.

Responding, Mr. Tsvangirai called the steps toward democracy in Zimbabwe “irreversible,” though with many hurdles still to surmount given the uneasy partnership in a national unity government his Movement for Democratic Change has pursued since February with the long-ruling ZANU-PF party of President Robert Mugabe, which has resisted change.

While affirming his commitment to human rights, Mr. Tsvangirai said he was conscious of his government's shortcomings in meeting benchmarks set by the West, but assured Mr. Brown that "we will be working very hard to ensure that those conditions are fulfilled."

Echoing Mr. Tsvangirai's pledge, his spokesman, James Maridadi, told reporter Ntungamili Nkomo of VOA's Studio 7 for Zimbabwe that the prime minister was confident the unity government would soon meet international benchmarks for reform.

Mr. Tsvangirai will conclude his tour Wednesday in Paris meeting President Nicolas Sarkozy.
Foreign policy expert Tom Cargill of the Chatham House think tank in London said Western demands for reform put Mr. Tsvangirai in a tough spot as his ZANU-PF partners seem likely to resist his efforts to bring about the reforms the West has called for.

* VoA

Proposed US$30,000 Vehicle Loans to Zimbabwe Legislators Stir Outrage

Members of Zimbabwe's Parliament have started shopping for vehicles based on indications that the Ministry of Finance will arrange a loan of US$30,000 to all parliamentarians to allow them to buy a new car to allow them to travel to and within their constituencies.

The move has angered some Zimbabweans who express concern that the government cannot afford to extend the loans which total more than US$6.3 million.

House Speaker Lovemore Moyo of the Movement for Democratic Change formation headed by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has said details of the scheme are being worked out.

But MP Thabitha Khumalo, deputy spokesperson for the Tsvangirai MDC formation, said most members are already shopping for vehicles under their terms of service.

One critic, political analyst Themba Dlodlo, told reporter Gibbs Dube that lawmakers should use the cars made available to them by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe as the new scheme will drain state resources that should be directed towards critical capital projects.

* VoA

ANC Expels 55 Eastern Cape Councillors

Johannesburg - The ANC's National Disciplinary Committee expelled 55 Eastern Cape councillors on Monday.

"This has upheld the decision by the ANC leadership in the Eastern Cape, said provincial secretary Pemmy Majodian."The councillors who are from several municipalities will not be allowed to join the ANC for the next seven years."

She said that 54 of the councillors were suspected to be working for the Congress of the People, and using state resources just before the elections in April this year.

Free paraffin for voting Cope

"They went as far as going into communities promising them free paraffin if they came to a certain venue. "When the people arrived, they would hand them Cope pamphlets and tell them the only way they would receive the paraffin was if they voted for Cope.

"This has been their trend in activities."Only one of the councillors was expelled because of the way he "conducted himself in his duties", Majodian said.

Councillors will seek legal advice

He too would not be able to join the ANC for seven years.She said the 55 were split into four groups. Two groups were found guilty in May, and the other two groups in June.The councillors were from Amahlathi, Mbhashe, and Ngqushwa and Butterworth.

It was reported that the expelled councillors said they would seek legal advice, and that the expulsions had opened vacancies in the municipalities.

- SAPA

Zim PM Defends Sharing Power With Mugabe

Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai on Sunday defended his decision to enter a power-sharing government with President Robert Mugabe, a day after being heckled offstage by protesters in London.

The two bitter rivals joined in a coalition government in February.

The move has not gone down well with many Zimbabwean exiles, who blame Mugabe for years of economic collapse and political repression.

Protesters jeered Tsvangirai at a London church on Saturday when he appealed to expatriates to return home and rebuild the southern African country.

Tsvangirai told BBC television that Zimbabwe was making progress toward democracy and that free elections would be held in two years.

He said the coalition was "not perfect... but certainly we are on the way and it's irreversible".
"We went in this government to achieve one thing - it is to achieve ultimately democracy and democratic elections," Tsvangirai said.

He said Mugabe, who has ruled Zimbabwe since 1980, "has already accepted that this is a process of transition and that after two years we should go for an election".

Tsvangirai acknowledged there was a long way to go. Zimbabwe has had the highest inflation rate in the world, most of the population lacks food, human rights abuses persist and thousands have died during a major cholera outbreak.

* SAPA

Spate Over Zimbabwe's PM Newsletter

Harare - Zimbabwe's information ministry says it is investigating whether a newsletter published by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's office is legal.

The state Sunday Mail newspaper, a mouthpiece of President Robert Mugabe's party, says the four-page publication set Tsvangirai on a "collision course" with government colleagues.

The newsletter contains details of Tsvangirai's current trip to re-engage with Western nations after a decade of isolation for Zimbabwe. The Sunday Mail says Tsvangirai should first have reported to Cabinet colleagues.

Chief information secretary George Charamba is quoted as saying his department is "looking at what the law says".

Rivals Mugabe and Tsvangirai joined in a coalition government in February.

* AP

Zimbabwe and UK PM Set for London Talks

Zimbabwe PM Morgan Tsvangirai is expected to ask for financial support from Britain when he meets his counterpart Gordon Brown in London.
He is also expected to request the lifting of sanctions imposed by Britain on members of the government close to President Robert Mugabe.

Mr Tsvangirai is on a tour of America and Europe to lobby for relief funds.
In an interview with the BBC on Sunday he defended the record of the unity government formed in February.

He said schools and hospitals had reopened, and that the human rights situation improved.
Mr Tsvangirai also called for "normal relations between Zimbabwe and the UK", saying it was "important to support this transition in order to strengthen the democratic reforms".

He said Mr Mugabe, who has ruled the landlocked former British colony since 1980, had accepted there need to be changes.

"Mr Mugabe has already moved, he has already accepted that this is a process of transition and after two years we should go for an election.

"It will be a fair election because we are transforming the electoral environment. We are transforming the institutions that were used to abuse people."

On Saturday, Mr Tsvangirai was booed by Zimbabwean exiles when he urged them to return to the country.

Many were bitter that, following years of outspoken opposition to the Zimbabwe government, he had decided to join it and offer public support to Mr Mugabe.

Mr Tsvangirai's UK visit is the final stage of his tour of Europe and the US.

* BBC

Denmark to Give Zimbabwe $18 Million in Aid

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Denmark pledged $18 million in aid to Zimbabwe on Wednesday and said more could follow if the government pursued democratic reforms.

Development Minister Ulla Tornas told a joint news conference with Zimbabwe's Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai that Denmark wanted to support democratic forces in the government.

"In rough terms we're giving $12 million for health, education and food security, and $6 million in humanitarian assistance," she said.

Tsvangirai's visit was part of a tour of Western countries designed to drum up financial support for Zimbabwe's fragile unity government which he shares with President Robert Mugabe.Danish Foreign Minister Per Stig Moller told the news conference:

"For us it is very important that the government of Mr. Tsvangirai becomes a success. Because, if it becomes a failure, it will be very difficult next time to establish a democratic government (in Zimbabwe)."

Denmark halted development aid to Zimbabwe in 2002 in reaction to the disputed re-election of Mugabe and now provides only humanitarian aid and some aid through non-governmental organisations.

"Times have changed," Moller said. "The development minister has decided to give transitional support because the situation is different.

"If the democratic process in Zimbabwe continued, Denmark might give more aid, he added.


Germany pledged 25 million euros ($35 million) for Zimbabwe on Monday.

The United States last week promised $73 million in new aid to help fight AIDS and promote good governance.

Zimbabwe Seeks Tourism Bonanza From 2010 World Cup

VICTORIA FALLS (Reuters) - Zimbabwe, its economy in ruins, is dreaming of millions of tourist dollars and even training visits by international soccer stars when the World Cup comes to South Africa next year.

Scottish explorer David Livingstone is said to have written after first seeing the Victoria Falls in 1855: "On sights as beautiful as this, angels in their flight must have gazed."

The magnificent waterfalls were once one of Africa's biggest tourist attractions, but Zimbabwe's political violence and economic collapse have reduced visitors to a trickle both here and at the country's other attractions. Tourist income has slumped from $360 million at its 1999 peak to $29 million last year.

An influx of soccer fans before or after the tournament would be a godsend for this once prosperous nation and visits by teams like Brazil, Germany or even England would offer a rare morale boost for millions of impoverished but soccer-mad fans.

The sight of David Beckham marvelling at the Victoria Falls or bending a trademark free kick on a local pitch would be a huge coup for a nation battling to shake-off its bad-boy image.

Tourism officials believe Zimbabwe could reap as much as $100 million from the World Cup, a windfall for a government which is broke and continues to be shunned by foreign donors.

The country has made international headlines for all the wrong reasons in the past decade, from violent seizures of white-owned farms, to election violence and political repression to the world's highest rate of hyper-inflation.

"This would be the perfect opportunity to showcase the other side of Zimbabwe by cleaning up our pariah image and showing the world that we have much to offer especially to tourists," said economist John Robertson.

* Guardian

Swedish PM Says Zimbabwe Democracy Will Be European Union Priority

Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai met Tuesday with his Swedish counterpart, Fredrik Reinfeldt, who said democracy in Zimbabwe will be a priority for the European Union when his country assumes the leadership of the 27-member bloc next month.

Speaking Tuesday at a joint news conference with Mr Tsvangirai in Stockholm, Mr. Reinfeldt said that he saw some positive signs in Harare, but stopped short of offering much-needed budgetary support for the unity government formed by Mr. Tsvangirai and President Robert Mugabe in February. He urged further political and economic reforms.

Monday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel pledged US$35 million to help Zimbabwe. U.S. President Barack Obama said Friday that the US government would provide US$73 million for humanitarian purposes and the restoration of the health and education systems.

The funds will be channeled through non-governmental organizations, he specified.

But this arrangement has created a backlash in Harare with ZANU-PF hardliners accusing the prime minister of indirectly channeling funds to his Movement for Democratic Change party, saying NGOs likely to receive such funds are aligned with the MDC.

State meanwhile charged that Mr. Tsvangirai had failed to carry out his brief from President Mugabe to lobby for Western targeted sanctions on him and associates to be lifted.

The state-controlled Herald newspaper mocked Mr. Tsvangirai on Saturday saying he had "hit another brick wall" after failing to secure direct budget support from Washington.

State media did not broadcast or publish photos of Mr. Tsvangirai's meeting with Obama. The MDC Tuesday issued a statement calling official media reports "mischievous," adding that the party was not responsible for negative international perceptions of Zimbabwe.

Mr. Tsvangirai himself denied reports Mugabe had dispatched him, saying his three-week tour of Western capitals was undertaken at his own initiative.

* VoA

Zimbabwe's Stores Are Now Full Again

Harare - Zimbabwe's once-deserted supermarkets are full again, after the country reined in its world-record hyperinflation. But there's no wait at the tills - most people simply can't afford to buy anything.

"It a luxury for those who have money to buy," said Marian Chituku, a 36-year-old mother of three, holding a loaf of bread as she walked out of a supermarket in the working-class suburb of Chitungwiza, outside the capital.

"The shops are full, but to us there is no difference because we cannot afford the goods. They are as good as non-existent. We only see them on the shelves."Chituku said her family has tea - without milk - in the late morning, skips lunch and then eat dinner as their only meal in order to stretch her income from a vegetable stall in the township.

But in Harare's leafy suburbs, supermarkets are a shopper's paradise for the select few deciding between imported haddock fillets or full-shell mussels.

"You can get everything you want here," Josephine Marucchi, a housewife from the posh suburb of Mount Pleasant, said pausing to choose from the various brands of cheese before completing the sentence: "as long as you have money."

It's completely different from last year when people had money and the shops were empty," she added.The centre of the shop looked like a gym, stocked with modern exercise gadgets, where an assistant explained to a customer how to operate a treadmill.

Last year supermarkets across Zimbabwe resembled empty sheds as local manufacturers either pulled down the shutters or operated at less than half their capacity because of hyperinflation, which rendered the local currency unusable.

The shortages were exacerbated after the government launched a blitz ordering businesses to slash prices, with long-ruling President Robert Mugabe accusing some businesses of colluding with his western foes to try to topple him.Things improved after Mugabe and his one-time rival Morgan Tsvangirai formed a unity government in February.

The local currency has been abandoned and import restrictions lifted, which has erased the hyperinflation estimated in multiples of billions last year.Now prices, all in US dollars or South African rands, are actually declining, but more than half the population still depends on international food aid.

* News 24

Swedish PM Urges Zimbabwe on Reforms, No Aid Yet

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Sweden's prime minister said on Tuesday he saw positive signs in Zimbabwe but stopped short of offering aid to the impoverished country, urging the government to push through economic and political reforms.

"We are determined to do as much as we can to support the transition to democracy and increase the respect for human rights in Zimbabwe," Fredrik Reinfeldt said at a news briefing after a meeting Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.

"This will be an important task during the Swedish EU presidency."

But Reinfeldt, who takes over the rotating European Union presidency for Sweden from July 1, offered no aid for the African nation, saying urgent matters needed to be resolved."Politically motivated violence needs to be stopped," he said.

"The rule of law and freedom of the media must be established."

Tsvangirai has been touring Europe and the United States in a bid to woo financial support for the unity government he shares uneasily with rival President Robert Mugabe.Reinfeldt said Zimbabwe must provide greater transparency in its financial system and start reforming its central bank.

Western donors, who accuse Mugabe of years of misrule and largely shun him, have said aid will only flow when a democracy is created and economic reforms are implemented.

Aid is beginning to trickle into aid agencies, bypassing the government. Germany pledged 25 million euros ($35 million) for Zimbabwe on Monday and U.S. President Barack Obama promised last week $73 million to help fight AIDS and promote good governance.

Tsvangirai said he understood the concerns and was not there to defend Mugabe's past record. "I would be the last one ... to say everything is rosy," he said. "There are some gaps."

Tsvangirai's government has said it needs $10 billion to rebuild a country of 12 million people which has been devastated by chronic unemployment above 90 percent and acute poverty.

Fight Crime, President Zuma Urges Youth

Johannesburg - President Jacob Zuma told the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) on Tuesday to prioritise poverty alleviation, rural development and crime fighting programmes.

Zuma was addressing young people at the Huntersfield stadium in Katlehong, Ekurhuleni, east of Johannesburg, during June 16 Youth Day celebrations.

He was also launching the NYDA, the result of a merger of the National Youth Commission and the Umsobomvu Youth Fund, which was established to promote youth development issues.

"We have prioritised education over the next five years, therefore the creation of an environment which promotes skills development, and economic participation of youth will be one of the primary tasks of the ANC.

"We all expect the agency to assist in promoting youth participation in democratic processes, community and civic decision-making and development at all levels," he said. He said the government had the responsibility "to create an environment where our young people can extricate themselves from poverty and build successful lives".

"On this day we reaffirm that we have heard the voices of youth in distress. We are aware of unemployed youths, those in conflict with the law, those in abject poverty and those who seek assistance in our townships and rural villages.

"Youth development is therefore a critical focus area for our government," Zuma said.
'He's making us sleepy'

He had earlier sent the crowd into a frenzy when he ascended the podium and chanted his infamous umshini wam song.

As he danced, masses of youth at the stadium danced along with him.

Some school children appeared bored when he stopped dancing and addressed them.

"U Zuma uyabora... Uyalalisa (he's boring and making us sleepy)," said a young man.

However, other young people listened attentively to Zuma's speech, saying they hoped to be among those who would get the jobs that Zuma promised to deliver by the end of December 2009.

* News 24

Feud Between Gono and Biti Spills into Courts

A long abandoned case involving Finance Minister Tendai Biti’s law firm, Honey and Blanckenberg was resuscitated last week Tuesday in the Harare Magistrates Court.

Three years ago the firm was accused of ‘externalising’ over a US$1 million in payments from overseas clients but the matter then seemed to have died a natural death.



In a sign that the feud between Biti and Reserve Bank Governor Gideon Gono is far from over, the weekly Zimbabwe Standard newspaper reports that the case has now been raised from the grave. Lazarus Dhlakama, an inspector in the Financial Intelligence Unit of the RBZ made the complaint against Biti’s law firm to the police.

The MDC has been fighting tooth and nail to have Gono removed from the Central Bank accusing him of destroying its integrity through quasi-fiscal activities. The governor himself admitted to raiding private foreign currency accounts claiming this was to keep the government afloat.

In the political battle that ensued Gono fought back by leaking to the media an acrimonious letter he wrote to Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai. In that letter he accused Biti of harassing him and pursuing a personal vendetta because the RBZ was investigating the ‘externalisation’ allegations.

Meanwhile, Biti’s law firm last week filed an application with the Supreme Court before a trial date could be set. They argued that the search warrants used to raid their offices were not only invalid, but the documents seized were protected under attorney-client privilege. The firm says it cannot defend itself from the charges without breaching this privilege.

Honey and Blanckenberg have also denied the charges saying they only received about US$3000 per month in consultancy fees from a firm registered outside the country. This amount was ‘remitted and banked in Zimbabwe in full compliance with exchange control laws,’ it said.

* SW RadioAfrica

Tsvangirai olds Talks With German Chancellor Merkel

The German government on Monday pledged close to 30 million euros to Zimbabwe to be used to improve the education, health and farming sectors.

The pledge followed a meeting between the Chancellor and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai in Berlin, where the German government assured him of its full support for his pro-democracy work in Zimbabwe.


Tsvangirai arrived in Berlin on Sunday from Washington and before Monday’s talks he was received with full military honours. He also inspected a guard of honour.

James Maridadi, Tsvangirai’s spokesman told us that the Prime Minister was heartened by the fact that Chancellor Merkel was able to express support for Zimbabwe.

Merkel also described Tsvangirai as a ‘symbol of democratisation’ in Zimbabwe, and added there were some encouraging signs following the formation of the unity government four months ago.Merkel said wherever possible Germany would give support, but this remains conditional upon further democratic advances in the country.

Later in the day, Tsvangirai met the German Development Minister Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul, who announced that Germany would give the World Bank 20 million euros to help Zimbabwe, along with five million euros to buy seed and fertiliser for small-time Zimbabwean farmers.

The Prime Minister’s visit to Berlin is part of a three-week tour of Europe and the United States designed to rally political and financial support from Western governments. He leaves Berlin for Stockholm, Sweden on Monday night.

During his European tour, Tsvangirai is also due to meet British Premier Gordon Brown and French President Nicolas Sarkozy, as well as the leaders of Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Belgium, and senior European Union officials.

He has so far succeeded in gaining modest commitments from several countries to increase humanitarian aid which will be channeled through non-governmental organisations.

Last Friday US President Barack Obama pledged US$73 million.

Tsvangirai told journalists after his meeting with Merkel that the unity government had made ‘real progress in stabilising runaway inflation and in trying to create the conditions for democracy.’ He added that Zimbabwe is changing and is changing for the better.

* SW Radio Africa

New IMF Mission Arrives in Zimbabwe

HARARE (AFP) — The head of an International Monetary Fund team arrived in Zimbabwe on Monday to assess the coalition government's economic policies and the country's still enormous humantarian needs, officials said.

"The IMF staff mission will look into the country's economic performance since the setting up of the incluisve government in February," an official close to the delegation told AFP.



"The delegation will, among other things, hold meetings with government officials and representatives of industry."

The IMF mission is the third since the start of the year, and follows the fund's decision last month to resume technical aid to Zimbabwe, which for years had been barred any assistance.

The rest of the IMF team will arrive within a week, and the mission is set to wrap up its work on June 29, officials said.

According to the IMF, the team will assess foreign exchange inflows and the state of international reserves and will meet with the World Food Programme about the country's food needs.

The mission will also discuss the United Nation's 718-million-dollar humanitarian appeal that includes food aid for six million Zimbabweans -- about half the population.

In February, long-time rivals President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai formed an inclusive government following a deal brokered by former South African president Thabo Mbeki.

The new government is seeking 8.5 billion dollars to revive the shattered economy and the civil service, including schools and hospitals, but major Western nations have withheld aid demanding to see more significant political reforms.

Zimbabwe Soldiers and Police say Inclusive Government Easing Tension

Lower-ranking police officers and army troops in Zimbabwe say they are better off under the country's new inclusive government.

But they quietly say they fear there is too much political involvement in the security services. Zimbabwe's army has about 30,000 soldiers who earn $100 a month.


It was reported that lower ranking soldiers carried out most of the beatings of Movement for Democratic Change supporters during last year's elections.

A private with four years service told VOA he beat MDC supporters because senior officers loyal to President Robert Mugabe's Zanu PF, forced him to.

The soldier, who asked not to be identified for fear of reprisals, said he is relieved an inclusive government is now in place, because those pressures are now gone. He is critical of top officers in the Zimbabwe National Army, who he says are unprofessional because they openly support Zanu PF, the former ruling party.

Zimbabwe's top generals have refused to salute Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, who won more votes in the March 2008 election than President Robert Mugabe.

VoA

Obama Gives Conditional Support to New Zimbabwe Govt

WASHINGTON — President Obama publicly scolded President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe on Friday, using a White House meeting with the country’s prime minister, Morgan Tsvangirai, to praise Mr. Tsvangirai and to accuse Mr. Mugabe of opposing democratic freedoms and steering the country into political and economic ruin.


Morgan Tsvangirai, Zimbabwe’s prime minister and an opposition leader, with President Obama on Friday in the Oval Office.

“It has gone through a very dark and difficult period politically,” Mr. Obama told reporters in the Oval Office after meeting with Mr. Tsvangirai, an opposition leader who shares power with Mr. Mugabe and is trying to loosen the president’s autocratic grip on his country.

“The president — President Mugabe — I think I’ve made my views clear, has not acted oftentimes in the best interest of the Zimbabwean people and has been resistant to the kinds of democratic changes that need to take place.”

Mr. Tsvangirai received more votes than Mr. Mugabe in an election last year but was pressed into a power-sharing deal that has left Mr. Mugabe in control of the police, the spy service, the media and the criminal justice system. Mr. Tsvangirai is seeking help from the West, which puts Mr. Obama in the difficult position of trying to figure out how to deliver that help — without bolstering Mr. Mugabe.

One way the White House can help Mr. Tsvangirai is by throwing the support of the popular American president behind the prime minister.

Mr. Obama did just that during the Oval Office meeting, saying that Mr. Tsvangirai is “committed to significant concrete improvement” in the health, educational and agricultural needs of his people.

“I congratulate him,” Mr. Obama said, adding, “Over all, in a very difficult circumstance, we’ve seen progress from the prime minister.”

Mr. Obama said that he had committed $73 million in assistance to Zimbabwe, but that the money “will not be going to the government directly because we continue to be concerned about consolidating democracy, human rights and rule of law.”

Mr. Obama said he was looking to Mr. Tsvangirai to “continue to provide us with direction in ways that he thinks we can be helpful.”

* NY Times

Obama Keeps up Pressure on Zimbabwe Reforms

Washington - US President Barack Obama gave tentative backing to Zimbabwe's fragile national unity government on Friday, but the country's prime minister, Morgan Tsvangirai, left a White House meeting largely empty-handed.

Obama promised $73m in new aid that a White House official said later would go toward fighting HIV/AIDS and promoting good governance in the poverty-stricken southern African nation.

Significantly, the money will not go to the government but will be channeled through aid agencies.

The meeting underscored the quandary Obama faces - how to support Tsvangirai's efforts to rebuild Zimbabwe's shattered economy without bolstering his rival, President Robert Mugabe.

Western states accuse Mugabe of years of misrule and largely shun him.Tsvangirai, a former labour official and longtime opposition leader, was in Washington as part of a tour of Europe and the United States to rally support for the power-sharing government he formed with Mugabe in February after bitterly disputed elections that saw his supporters beaten and jailed.

"We now have a power-sharing agreement that shows promise," Obama said, with Tsvangirai sitting next to him in the Oval Office.

He praised Tsvangirai's efforts to tackle hyperinflation that has devastated the economy and to improve the daily lives of Zimbabweans who face chronic food shortages and an unemployment rate of about 90%.

* News 24

Zimbabwe Appeals for More Investment, End to Sanctions at WEF

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Zimbabwe's political and business leaders made an impassioned appeal for an end to sanctions and more international investment Friday, hours ahead of a meeting between Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and President Barack Obama.

"Sanctions in this juncture in our history are meaningless," said Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara. "Help us help ourselves by removing all those sanctions so Zimbabwe can have a fresh start," Mutambara told the World Economic Forum on Africa, currently held in Cape Town, South Africa.

Mutambara followed former opposition leader Tsvangirai into a unity government in February, hoping to weaken the authority of longtime President Robert Mugabe.Tsvangirai is touring Western countries in a bid to persuade them to end sanctions and provide vitally needed aid to kick start Zimbabwe's battered economy.

But he faces an uphill struggle because of international mistrust of Mugabe, who still seems reluctant to loosen his grip on power and embrace market reforms.Zimbabwe's cash-strapped African neighbors have failed to respond to its pleas for a $2 billion economic rescue package. Investors from South Africa — the continent's richest country — are waiting for the implementation of a new bilateral investment promotion and protection agreement before they move in.

"Zimbabwe doesn't have the luxury of time on its side," warned South African deputy president Kgalema Motlanthe.Finance Minister Tendai Biti — who belongs to Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change — said he was determined to overhaul the country's central bank.

Biti has clashed repeatedly with central bank governor Gideon Gono, who is a Mugabe ally, but has managed to push through key reforms, including ending Zimbabwe's hyperinflation and rampant black market by effectively replacing the worthless Zimbabwe dollar with the U.S. dollar.

* LA Times

Zimbabwe PM Seeks US Support in Meeting With Obama

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama is scheduled to meet Friday with Zimbabwe's prime minister.
Morgan Tsvangirai is in Washington to ask the U.S. to give "transitional support" to his government with President Robert Mugabe, a man many in the West accuse of trampling rights and choking off Zimbabwe's once vibrant economy.


Tsvangirai himself says if it were up to him Mugabe would have retired from politics years ago.
Mugabe insists Western sanctions led to his nation's economic meltdown, charges repeatedly dismissed by the United States and Britain.

Tsvangirai is calling on the West to lift "restrictive measures" against Zimbabwe, asking if the government collapsed, "what would be the future of Zimbabwe?"

* Washington Post

Zimbabwe Divisions Pose a Quandary for West

JOHANNESBURG — President Obama has offered to extend a hand to repressive rulers who unclench their fists.

On Friday, he will meet Morgan Tsvangirai, the Zimbabwean politician who is trying to loosen the grip of an autocrat whose party’s very symbol is the clenched fist: Robert Mugabe, 85, in power now for 29 years and counting.

Mr. Tsvangirai, Zimbabwe’s prime minister, received more votes than President Mugabe in an election last year but was pressed by regional leaders into an unsatisfactory power-sharing deal four months ago.

It left Mr. Mugabe in control of the police, the spy service, the media and the criminal justice system, and he has used his power to countermand Mr. Tsvangirai’s recent efforts to re-establish the rule of law and freedom of the press.

Therein lies the puzzle for Mr. Obama and the leaders of other wealthy Western democracies whom Mr. Tsvangirai is meeting during a three-week tour of the United States and Europe: How do they help Mr. Tsvangirai and Zimbabwe without bolstering Mr. Mugabe?

Mr. Tsvangirai has insisted that he is not walking around with a begging bowl, but clearly he and his party hope that the United States and other Western democracies will provide more aid to help rebuild Zimbabwe’s devastated health, education and sanitation systems. If they are successful, they would be strengthened for the next election.

* NY Times

Amnesty International Head Will Meet Mugabe on Visit

Johannesburg — AMNESTY International secretary-general Irene Khan will hold meetings with Zimbabwe's senior government officials, including President Robert Mugabe, at the weekend as part of her mission to assess the humanitarian situation in the country.

The visit by the global human rights watchdog will put Zimbabwe's appalling human rights record in the spotlight at a time when western countries are refusing to give the country financial aid because of lack of reforms there.

"From June 13-18, Khan will lead a high-level mission to Zimbabwe, during which she plans to meet human rights activists, victims of human rights violations and senior government officials, including Mugabe," Amnesty said.

Mugabe was once classified by Amnesty as a " prisoner of conscience" during his anticolonial struggles in the 1960s and 1970s, but was later condemned for human rights abuses.

Zimbabwe has a long history of gross human rights abuses since 1980. Hundreds of opposition political activists were killed last year during a violent general election.

* All Africa

Zimbabwe High Court To Rule June 22 on Referring Coup Case to Supreme Court

Zimbabwe High Court Justice Tendai Uchena said Wednesday that he won't issue a ruling until June 22 on a request by lawyers for Movement for Democratic Change activists accused of plotting to overthrow the previous government to refer the case to the Supreme Court.

Lawyers for Concilia Chinanzvavana, Violet Mupfuranhewe, Collen Mutemagau and Fidelis Chiramba of the MDC formation led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai want to ask the top court to rule their clients cannot be charged because they were abducted and tortured.

The four defendants are among more than 30 MDC and human rights activists arrested late last year and accused of banditry, insurgence and terrorism. Many of them were taken from their homes by persons believed to be agents of the state security apparatus, and eventually handed over to the Zimbabwe Republic Police who brought the charges.

* VoA

Tsvangirai to US: Process in Harare Flawed, But 'Irreversible

Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, in Washington for the first time since taking office in February, said Wednesday that he will "not gloss over the issues" still troubling the country's unity government he formed with President Robert Mugabe, but will also make the case that Zimbabwe's "irreversible" democratic transition merits American support.

Mr. Tsvangirai was scheduled to meet Thursday with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and on Friday with President Barack Obama to talk about what the White House described in a statement early this week as “the difficult road ahead” for Zimbabwe.

With U.S. officials already setting the bar high to provide budget support for Zimbabwe’s unity government, Mr. Tsvangirai told VOA that his diplomatic initiative “is not an attempt to gloss over the issues" in Harare where, he recently acknowledged to his own Movement for Democratic Change party, there has been scant progress on human rights.

"Now engagement is not an event, it is a process. It is a confidence-building process," said Mr. Tsvangirai, referring to his effort to re-establish ties with Western countries.

"We have to say that in that engagement, there is a lot of education. There is misconception, there is perceptions that have been created, but there is also a point that we can clarify the current status of the country. Remember that we have said the new political dispensation is irreversible – but it is not perfect," Mr. Tsvangirai said.

He suggested that Monday’s statement by U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Africa Johnnie Carson to the effect that more substantial reform was needed before Washington could provide major development aid was not necessarily the last word on the subject.

“One does not prematurely state a position before you have engaged,” Mr. Tsvangirai said.

“I am here on an official visit and I am hoping to engage the United States government at its highest level, and I’m hoping that at every stage there is an understanding of where we stand. I’m not saying everything on the ground is perfect. I’m saying the process that we have embarked on in creating the inclusive government is an irreversible process towards achieving democracy and transformation in the country,” he said.

Before coming to the United States, Mr. Tsvangirai was cordially received in the Netherlands, where however Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende also indicated that the Hague wanted to see more progress on human rights and the rule of law before boosting aid.

But British Minister for Africa Mark Malloch-Brown told reporters in Maputo, Mozambique, that his government wanted to give Zimbabwe's unity government “a chance of success.”

"We are engaged, but it is a cautious engagement", he said. "We're not yet convinced that (President) Mugabe and those around him are committed to a democratic transition."

But he made clear British aid will remain linked to progress on rights issues.

* VoA

Mugabe Bodyguards Won't Face Trial

Hong Kong - Bodyguards for the daughter of Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe who were accused of assaulting two journalists in Hong Kong will not face prosecution, an official said Tuesday.

Hong Kong's Department of Justice has decided against taking the two guards to court, a spokesperson said.

They were accused of attacking the photographers who were investigating a story on Robert Mugabe's assets in Asia in February.

The journalists were working on behalf of Britain's "Sunday Times" newspaper.

"In our review of the case it became clear that the (guards) were genuinely concerned for the safety of Miss (Bona) Mugabe," the justice department said in a statement.

The statement said that an independent lawyer had agreed that the case was "borderline" and the "public interest did not require a prosecution".

The two journalists, Colin Galloway and Tim O'Rourke, said the guards had held Galloway in a headlock and grabbed one of their cameras.

* News 24

Obama to Host Zimbabwe's Tsvangirai at White House

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

Statement by the Press Secretary on the visit of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai of Zimbabwe



The President looks forward to welcoming Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai of Zimbabwe to the Oval Office on Friday, June 12.

The Prime Minister, along with millions of Zimbabweans, has been working against the odds to secure a stable democratic future for the people of Zimbabwe.

The two leaders will discuss the difficult road ahead in Zimbabwe, including how the United States can support the forces of reform as they work to bring the rule of law, respect for human rights, and free and fair elections back to Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwean NGOs Pursue Their Own Diplomatic Initiative

As Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai concluded the first phase of his European diplomatic initiative and headed for the United States, Zimbabwean non-governmental organizations remained on the Continent to lobby Europe and its governments.

The NGO delegates said their objective is to define priorities for aid and keep Zimbabwe on the radar of the European Union ahead of Spain's assumption of the presidency in 2010.

Represented on the delegation are the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions, the Crisis in Zimbabwe coalition, the NGO Human Rights Forum and the National Association of Non-Governmental Organizations.

The NGOs launched their five-day tour on Sunday in The Netherlands, quickly moving on to Spain, and will continue to Sweden, Germany and Belgium.

Mugabe Launches New Trade Pact

Victoria Falls - President Robert Mugabe on Sunday launched a new pact aimed at tearing down trade barriers across 19 African nations with appeals for external investors and an end to domestic conflicts.

The veteran leader took over as chair of the continent's largest trade bloc - home to 400 million people stretching from the southern Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean - and opened the customs union within their borders.

"Our message to investors worldwide and to those of our region is clear: we have a regional market for you, come to Comesa," said the 85-year-old, referring to the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa.

"To the whole world, we want to say...we are serious as a region."With a combined gross domestic product of $360bn, Comesa's members range from oil or tourist hotspots to some of the world's poorest and most conflict-torn nations.

The bloc comprises Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sudan, Swaziland, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Most have lifted visa restrictions on travel within the bloc.

* News 24

PM Tsvangirai Commences Tour to the West

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai launched a three-week trip to the West on Sunday saying he is seeking re-engagement, not touring with a "begging bowl" asking for aid.

Western leaders have long isolated Zimbabwe, accusing President Robert Mugabe of trampling on democracy and ruining a once-vibrant economy.

Mugabe is still in power as part of the coalition Tsvangirai joined in February.


In a clear signal that the European Union is going to keep pressure on the government Tsvangirai leads, Dutch Development Aid Minister Bert Koenders said the bloc wants to see clear progress on human rights, the reining in of security services and reforming the country's central bank before resuming aid.

"It is the agreement of the parties in Zimbabwe itself regarding human rights, security, regarding economic policy, regarding land survey that forms the basis for our future support," Koenders told reporters after meeting Tsvangirai in The Hague.

Tsvangirai said he hopes to get the green light for a new round of talks with the European Union at the end of his trip to discuss reforms and future aid.

"I did not come here with a begging bowl. Re-engagement is a process," he told reporters after meeting Koenders.

"We have been isolated for the last 10 years and re-engagement means ... our cooperation partners need to understand what we are doing ... and we also have to understand the concerns of our partners."

Tsvangirai's spokesman James Maridadi told The Associated Press that Tsvangirai next travels to the United States and plans to meet President Barack Obama on Friday. He also will meet officials at the World Bank and International Monetary Fund before returning to Europe.

* AP