Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe said the coalition government he formed with former opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who is now his Prime Minister, had brought some benefits to the country but warned that Western “sanctions” could derail progress made so far.
Mugabe said the country’s inclusive government had instilled some sense of hope among Zimbabweans who had become accustomed to a decade of economic hardships and political instability.
“This arrangement has restored peace between our parties and stability within the economy,” Mugabe told delegates attending the national congress of his ZANU PF party.
He however bemoaned the “lack of a common voice” among the coalition partners on the issue of the removal of targeted sanctions imposed by the West on himself and 200 ZANU PF officials.
Under the targeted sanctions, the ZANU PF officials are barred from traveling to or owning assets in Australia, the European Union, New Zealand and the United States.
The veteran Zimbabwean leader said differences of opinion between ZANU PF and Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change over the lifting of the travel restrictions were putting a wedge between the two main coalition partners.
Source African Press Agency
