Kofi Annan Calls on Mbeki to Treat Tsvangirai And Mugabe As Equals

Pressure is mounting on Thabo Mbeki to negotiate a speedy settlement in Zimbabwe with Kofi Annan, on Thursday night, calling on him to accept the Zanu-PF chief and his MDC counterpart as equals, while church leaders from southern Africa call for immediate sanctions.

“Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai must be able to enter into a dialogue on an equal footing, as two leaders,” the former UN Secretary-General said during a speech Thursday night at the University of South Africa (Unisa), in Pretoria, where he was conferred with an honorary doctorate in Literature and Philosophy. Progress can only be made when the conditions are right, Annan told the gathering.

He said he was speaking on behalf of the Elders, the group that comprises Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu and Jimmy Carter, in calling “for a speedy and robust mediation to resolve the political crisis” to put an end to “this crisis of governance, for human lives and livelihoods are at stake.”

Source African Press Agency

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