Posted on 09/02/2002 9:57:18 PM PDT by MadIvan
President Robert Mugabe and his closest ally yesterday launched a highly personal, orchestrated attack on Tony Blair, effectively hijacking the Earth Summit to blame Britain for Zimbabwe's crisis.
"Blair, keep your England and let me keep my Zimbabwe," the 78-year-old leader declared to loud applause.
His outburst - and an attack by his friend, Sam Nujoma, the Namibian president - dramatically upstaged Mr Blair's speech during a flying visit to the summit and his attempt to highlight Britain's commitment to environmental targets.
Mr Mugabe had taken his seat at the Johannesburg conference to hear opening remarks by Kofi Annan, the United Nations secretary-general.
Within an hour he had slouched in his chair with his eyes closed and appeared to be asleep. But he was galvanised into action when Mr Blair walked in.
He jumped to his feet and stalked out, leaving the Zimbabwe desk unmanned, reappearing only as Mr Blair wound up his six-minute speech.
After the walk-out, the Namibian leader took up the cudgels. The Prime Minister sat stony-faced listening to Mr Nujoma's remarks, which appeared to have wrong-footed the British delegation.
Diplomats had moved Mr Blair's speaking slot from the afternoon because it was close to that of Mr Mugabe's, but they failed to anticipate Mr Nujoma's attack.
"Here in southern Africa we have one problem and it was created by the British," Mr Nujoma said, waving his finger. "The Honourable Tony Blair is here and they created the situation in Zimbabwe."
Mr Nujoma's attack bore all the signs of Mr Mugabe's hand, with Zimbabwe's state-owned Herald newspaper giving it front-page treatment.
Mr Blair was not in the chamber when Mr Mugabe departed from his prepared text on sustainable development to make his most inflammatory remarks.
"Sustainable development is not possible without agrarian reforms that acknowledge that land comes first before all else and that all else grows from the land," he said.
"In our situation, this fundamental has pitted the black majority against an obdurate and internationally well-connected racial minority, largely of British descent, brought in and sustained by British colonialism, now being supported and manipulated by the Blair government."
Mr Mugabe's remarks on the sovereignty of Zimbabwe generated most applause.
"We say this as Zimbabweans: we have fought for our land, we have fought for our sovereignty; small as we are, we have won our independence and we are prepared to shed our blood in sustenance and maintenance and protection of that independence.
"We do not mind having and bearing sanctions banning us from Europe; we are not Europeans; we have not asked for any square inch of that territory. So, Blair, keep your England and let me keep my Zimbabwe."
Mr Mugabe's words divided the summit between the developing and the developed worlds.
One of his sternest critics, the New Zealand prime minister, Helen Clark, blamed his policies for exacerbating a food crisis in southern Africa.
Without naming him, she said pointedly: "In one case, this disaster has been made much worse by deliberate and cynical government policies."
But the generally positive reaction to the outbursts underlined how the indignation felt by Britain, Europe and America at Mr Mugabe's land-grab policy is not shared by many in Africa.
Speaking 10 minutes after Mr Nujoma, Mr Blair stressed the main theme of the summit: the need to fight poverty.
The industrialised world must open up its markets to developing countries, he said.
He also stressed his "passion for Africa". But as he flew home last night after 12 hours in South Africa, that passion will have been stretched to breaking point.
The Tories criticised Mr Blair for failing to deal with Zimbabwe in his speech. Michael Ancram, the Tory party chairman, said his "reheated and high-flown rhetoric" had ignored the seriousness of the situation.
"The nearest the Prime Minister came to addressing the horrors of Zimbabwe was to refer, in Mozambique [on Sunday] to Mugabe's 'incompetence, mismanagement and corruption'," he said.
"Those who are being persecuted, tortured, raped, murdered and deliberately starved will find little recognition in these mealy-mouthed words."
Mr Blair later dismissed Mr Nujoma's comments. "What the president of Namibia said is what he has always said - he said it at the Commonwealth heads of government meeting a few months ago. It doesn't make it any more sensible, however."
The Prime Minister insisted that the view expressed by Mr Mugabe and Mr Nujoma was not "the voice of Africa", although there is no willingness from South Africa or other neighbouring countries to back Britain's condemnation of the Mugabe regime.
Thabo Mbeki, the South African president and chairman of the summit, did nothing to rein in the Mugabe camp, risking Britain's unqualified backing for Mr Mbeki's economic regeneration plan.
Regards, Ivan
Mbeki is far stupider, than even I gave him credit for being. NEPAD is dead in the water ( as I have been saying since it was announced ) and dear Thabo isn't ever going to be the " leader " of anything, but Commie rabble, who can't manage to figure out how to run a tea party; let alone a nation, a summit meeting, or anything else.
Yesterday. I am sick at the idea that we paid as taxpayers a single penny towards this wretched conference.
Regards, Ivan
Next time the UN has another bash, let's send some B-52s to represent us.
It got kaDAFFYS attention for sure. He reminds me of the dog that stuck his nose in the electric fence.
Well, goody, and when the formerly bountiful country goes to hell, he can keep his starving Zimbaweans until they eat him. But get all the whites out, they'll be the first to be eaten.
And hopefully, Blair and the rest of the West won't send that Idi Amin would-be a penny of relief.
I agree!
Yeah, I loved that "rock Lobster" song ... oh, you mean the real thing? ... oh *those* B-52s ... sorry, they have a reservation at Saddam's bunker coming up ... :-)
When has that ever happened?
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