OBASANJO SENDS CHISSANO TO MUGABE

Chissano.
The Chairman of the African Union, President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria has sent the former President of Mozambique, Joaquim Chissano as a special AU Envoy to meet with Papa Robert "Never Say Die" Mugabe over the political crisis in Zimbabwe. We have done comprehensive reports on the issues earlier, so we don't need to overflog the old horse. As the saying goes, "You can force the horse to the stream. But, you cannot force it to drink from the stream." So, we wish honourable African statesman Chissano the best in his mission to Zimbabwe. And we hope that Papa Robert Mugabe will not turn it into a "Mission Impossible".

Chissano to mediate with Zimbabwe.
10/08/2005 09:47 - (SA)

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Harare - Former Mozambican president Joaquim Chissano has been appointed the African Union's mediator for Zimbabwe, tasked with brokering talks between the ruling party and the opposition, a state-run newspaper reported on Wednesday.
Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, who chairs the 53-nation African Union, made the appointment in a letter to Chissano, a copy of which was sent to President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai.

"The Nigerian leader exhorted Mr Chissano to begin the mediation process immediately and it is understood that the former Mozambican leader has been frantically trying to reach President Mugabe," the newspaper reported.
The Herald said that Obasanjo hoped to use the talks to negotiate Zimbabwe's return to the Commonwealth club of former British colonies at the summit to be held in Malta in November.

Zimbabwe was suspended from the Commonwealth because the 2002 presidential elections, which returned Mugabe to power, were deemed unfair. Mugabe later quit the club in protest.

Chissano said last month that he planned to visit Zimbabwe at Obansanjo's request but that no date had been set.
Mugabe on Monday ruled out talks with the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), dismissing its members as "unwitting stooges and puppets" of former colonial ruler Britain.

"The man who needs to be spoken to in order to see reason resides at Number 10 Downing Street," said Mugabe, referring to British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Tsvangirai said last week that he was ready to sit down for talks with Mugabe to resolve the country's deepening political and economic crises, compounded by a recent government urban cleanup campaign that has left hundreds of thousands homeless.

Three elections held in Zimbabwe since 2000 have been mired in controversy with the opposition refusing to accept the outcome.

The political crisis has been coupled with an economic meltdown due in part to a sharp drop in agricultural output following the land reform program launched in 2000 in which some 4 000 white-owned commercial farms were seized and redistributed to landless blacks.