Sadc - Zimbabwe - sanction

Regional leaders call to lift Zimbabwe santions

Article published on the 2009-09-09 Latest update 2009-09-09 10:14 TU

Robert Mugabe at a conference in Libya laast month
(Photo: Reuters)

The heads of state of the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) called for the removal of all international sanctions on Zimbabwe late Tuesday, saying that pogress has been made since the power-sharing agreement last February. The body ignored a call from Zimababwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai for a special Sadc summit to discuss terms before lifting the sanctions.

"There was no reason for us to attach conditions to the calling of the countries that have applied sanctions to lift sanctions," said South African President Jacob Zuma at the Sadc conference in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.

Tsvangirai accuses President Robert Mugabe of not fulfilling one of the conditions of the power-sharing agrement, the reversal of appointments to certain key government positions.

But the regional leaders did not agree.

"Considering the positive evolution of the situation, considering the progress that has been made, we believe it is now high time that the santions are lifted," said current Sadc chairman, Congolese President Joseph Kabila.

Mugabe's press secretary George Charamba told Reuters newswire that "by continuing to inflict it [Zimbabwe] with those sanctions that are unjustified and illegal anyway, you are hurting Sadc. Please, do us a favour, remove ."

Tsvangirai attended the conference but told reporters that he was doing so in his capacity of leader of the Movement for Depocratic Change, which has been involved in a long struggle with Mugabe.

The President's Zanu-PF party accuses the Prime Minister of not trying to persuade foreign countries to lift the sanctions.