Zimbabwean situation deliberations struck off the AU agenda

The African Union has ignored calls for the inclusion of Zimbabwe on the summit agenda.

Sadc leaders also met yesterday on the sidelines of the summit but chose to discuss the volatile situation in the Great Lakes region, particularly the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and political developments in Madagascar.

President Mugabe attended the meeting and received a warm welcome at the heads of state and government of the African Union (AU) where the Zimbabwean situation is off the agenda.

Sources who attended the meeting said no issue related to Zimbabwe was discussed.

Parties in the inclusive Government recently resolved the impasse that had stymied the constitution-making process, paving way for elections scheduled for this year.

Despite this breakthrough several Zimbabwean civil society groups deployed representatives to the Ethiopian capital in a bid to misrepresent the situation and lobby for Zimbabwe's inclusion on the summit agenda.

Civic society groups which had hoped the AU would use the summit to ratchet up pressure on Mugabe to implement reforms such as security sector alignment were left seething.

The representatives were, however, left with egg on their faces after their calls were ignored.

In an interview with a local daily here yesterday, Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition programmes manager Nixon Nyikadzi-no said: "We are surprised by the absence of Zimbabwe on the AU agenda.

The Sadc leaders, however, felt that the DRC and Madagascar were more pressing issues for the region.

Sadc Troika members President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania, Hifikepunye Pohamba of Namibia, Jacob Zuma of South Africa and other regional leaders also attended the meeting.

The Sadc Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Co-operation and the AU's Peace and Security Council were expected to make presentations on the two regional flashpoints to the African leaders.

The leaders were meeting behind closed doors last night to consider various reports.

Officially opening the summit earlier yesterday morning, African Union Commission chair Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said the summit would mainly focus on conflict resolution particularly focusing on situations in Mali, Somalia, DRC, Central African Republic, Darfur, Comoros, Sudan/South Sudan, Madagascar, Western Sahara and the Sahel region.

She said there was need to accelerate the operationalisation of the African Stand-by Force and other mechanisms to enable the union to quickly respond to situations such as the one obtaining in Mali.