News / National
'Canada almost deposed Mugabe'
10 Sep 2014 at 03:38hrs | Views
President Robert Mugabe survived mounting international pressure to depart from office seven years ago, after former South African President, Thabo Mbeki, reportedly resisted efforts to elbow out Mugabe through a proposed deal of non-arraignment before the International Criminal Court (ICC) for his crimes aganist humanity, with Canada taking a lead at the time of the campaign, The Telescope News reported.
Other Western nations such as Britain and America had wanted a more hawkish approach for Mugabe to step down to save the nation from total economic and political collapse, but thanks to his closest ally to date Mbeki, who managed to buy time and use diplomacy to keep Mugabe in Office, South African contacts said this week.
Former Canadian paliamentarian for Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca in British Columbia, Keith Martin, wrote a letter to Mbeki, on 12 June 2007 highlighting the appalling political situation in Zimbabwe, and urging him to "lead an initiative" for Mugabe to step down, in exchange of not having to be dragged before the Hague.
According to our international sources, Mbeki is believed to have come close to "giving a serious thought" about the Canadian MP's recommendations, only to change his mind later, and instead decided to rescue Mugabe by actively crafting the Global Political Agreement (GPA) in 2008, which gave birth to the country's first coalition government on 13 February 2009.
The GPA was entered into by the three main political parties in Zimbabwe, namely Zanu-PF, MDC-T and MDC; under the facilitation of Mbeki. The agreement ended months of political violence, following the disputed June 2008 presidential run-off election, and gave way to a government of national unity.
"The Canadians almost managed to end Mugabe's rule and dictatorship," one diplomatic source said. "Remember his regime had just committed the sadistic act of Operation Restore Order, which demolished housing for the poor, and affecting 2,4 million people in the process. Mugabe knew the world would not let him get away with it, not to mention the Gukurahundi atrocities of the 80's, all these charges had come to haunt him. Some reports suggested he had privately agreed to Mbeki, to leave office, in return for the amnesty."
Last year Mbeki made the shocking disclosure, that former British prime minister, Tony Blair, had asked South Africa, to help London invade Zimbabwe to topple Mugabe by force.
Blair has denied Mbeki's allegation.
"A retired chief of the British armed forces said he had to withstand pressure from Blair, who was saying , 'You must work out a military plan so that we can physically remove Robert Mugabe'," Mbeki is reported to have said during an interview. "Why does it become British responsibility to decide who leads the people of Zimbabwe? So we said 'No, let Zimbabweans sit down, let them talk'."
Interestingly Mugabe not so long ago told a Canadian Television station (OMNI) during a classified interview in Harare, that he was not afraid of facing the ICC, to answer charges for crimes against humanity committed during his three decades in power.
Below is Keith Martin's letter to Mbeki
June 12, 2007
Ottawa
His Excellency President Thabo Mbeki
Office of the President
Private Bag X1000
PRETORIA, 0001
Dear President Mbeki,
This letter concerns the horrible situation faced by the Zimbabwean people. I need not repeat the details regarding the country's maternal mortality and morbidity figures, evidence of torture, human rights abuses, the lifespan reduction (for men life expectancy is now 37 years and for women 34) and other evidence of the trauma that has been inflicted upon the Zimbabwean people by President Mugabe and his regime.
The purpose of this letter is to recommend a solution to you that may resolve this problem. I hope, President Mbeki, that you will lead an initiative whereby Mr. Mugabe would step down, and allow free and open elections, in exchange for not being prosecuted for his crimes while in office. If Mr. Mugabe can be encouraged to step down then perhaps the torture that the Zimbabwean people have been enduring will stop.
Sir, I strongly hope that you will take up this initiative for the sake of the beleaguered people of Zimbabwe. You are one of the few people in the world who can make this happen and I look forward to your reply.
If there is anything that I can do to help you in this matter, please let me know.
Sincerely,
Dr. Keith Martin, M.D., P.C., M.P.
Esquimalt - Juan de Fuca
Cc: South African High Commissioner to Canada
Other Western nations such as Britain and America had wanted a more hawkish approach for Mugabe to step down to save the nation from total economic and political collapse, but thanks to his closest ally to date Mbeki, who managed to buy time and use diplomacy to keep Mugabe in Office, South African contacts said this week.
Former Canadian paliamentarian for Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca in British Columbia, Keith Martin, wrote a letter to Mbeki, on 12 June 2007 highlighting the appalling political situation in Zimbabwe, and urging him to "lead an initiative" for Mugabe to step down, in exchange of not having to be dragged before the Hague.
According to our international sources, Mbeki is believed to have come close to "giving a serious thought" about the Canadian MP's recommendations, only to change his mind later, and instead decided to rescue Mugabe by actively crafting the Global Political Agreement (GPA) in 2008, which gave birth to the country's first coalition government on 13 February 2009.
The GPA was entered into by the three main political parties in Zimbabwe, namely Zanu-PF, MDC-T and MDC; under the facilitation of Mbeki. The agreement ended months of political violence, following the disputed June 2008 presidential run-off election, and gave way to a government of national unity.
"The Canadians almost managed to end Mugabe's rule and dictatorship," one diplomatic source said. "Remember his regime had just committed the sadistic act of Operation Restore Order, which demolished housing for the poor, and affecting 2,4 million people in the process. Mugabe knew the world would not let him get away with it, not to mention the Gukurahundi atrocities of the 80's, all these charges had come to haunt him. Some reports suggested he had privately agreed to Mbeki, to leave office, in return for the amnesty."
Last year Mbeki made the shocking disclosure, that former British prime minister, Tony Blair, had asked South Africa, to help London invade Zimbabwe to topple Mugabe by force.
Blair has denied Mbeki's allegation.
"A retired chief of the British armed forces said he had to withstand pressure from Blair, who was saying , 'You must work out a military plan so that we can physically remove Robert Mugabe'," Mbeki is reported to have said during an interview. "Why does it become British responsibility to decide who leads the people of Zimbabwe? So we said 'No, let Zimbabweans sit down, let them talk'."
Interestingly Mugabe not so long ago told a Canadian Television station (OMNI) during a classified interview in Harare, that he was not afraid of facing the ICC, to answer charges for crimes against humanity committed during his three decades in power.
Below is Keith Martin's letter to Mbeki
June 12, 2007
Ottawa
His Excellency President Thabo Mbeki
Office of the President
Private Bag X1000
PRETORIA, 0001
Dear President Mbeki,
This letter concerns the horrible situation faced by the Zimbabwean people. I need not repeat the details regarding the country's maternal mortality and morbidity figures, evidence of torture, human rights abuses, the lifespan reduction (for men life expectancy is now 37 years and for women 34) and other evidence of the trauma that has been inflicted upon the Zimbabwean people by President Mugabe and his regime.
The purpose of this letter is to recommend a solution to you that may resolve this problem. I hope, President Mbeki, that you will lead an initiative whereby Mr. Mugabe would step down, and allow free and open elections, in exchange for not being prosecuted for his crimes while in office. If Mr. Mugabe can be encouraged to step down then perhaps the torture that the Zimbabwean people have been enduring will stop.
Sir, I strongly hope that you will take up this initiative for the sake of the beleaguered people of Zimbabwe. You are one of the few people in the world who can make this happen and I look forward to your reply.
If there is anything that I can do to help you in this matter, please let me know.
Sincerely,
Dr. Keith Martin, M.D., P.C., M.P.
Esquimalt - Juan de Fuca
Cc: South African High Commissioner to Canada
Source - www.thetelescopenews.com
