Zimbabwe Accuses Zambia of Peddling Western Interests

The Zimbabwe government has repeated its claims that Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa was peddling Western interests for regime change in Zimbabwe in what is the latest sign of frosty diplomatic relations between Harare and Lusaka, APA learned on Monday.

In a story carried in the state-owned Herald daily Monday, the Zimbabwean authorities accused President Mwanawasa of trying to convene an “improper” special summit of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) last week on the sidelines of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development summit in Japan.

Quoting diplomatic sources, The Herald said President Mwanawasa threatened to resign as SADC chairman after his move was blocked by other regional leaders.

“The SADC leaders described President Mwanawasa’s call as improper and unnecessary because the Zimbabwe was being handled by the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security with South African President Thabo Mbeki as the mediator,” the daily said.

According to the newspaper, the other SADC leaders felt such a posture would benefit Western interests, an indirect suggestion that the Zambian leader was being used by the West to remove Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe from power.

Relations between Zimbabwe and Zambia have been frosty since April when Mwanawasa convened a special SADC summit to discuss the post-election crisis in Harare.

The move was criticized by the Zimbabwean government, which said the move was unprocedural. President Mugabe did not attend the April 12 special summit held in the Zambian capital, Lusaka.

Source African Press Agency

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