Mugabe seeks support at African summit

Paul Schemm

SHARM EL-SHEIK, Egypt — Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe sought a boost of political legitimacy at a summit of African leaders Monday after his re-election was widely discredited as a sham.

Mugabe’s fellow leaders avoided strong public criticism of him, despite Western calls for them to condemn the longtime leader.

The United States has vowed to bring the issue of Zimbabwe before the U.N. Security Council this week, and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown urged the African Union to reject the result of Zimbabwe’s presidential runoff.

Mugabe was the sole candidate in last Friday’s vote. Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai withdrew, saying his supporters had become targets of brutal state-sponsored violence.

The summit should “make it absolutely clear that there has got to be change” in Zimbabwe, Brown said in London. “I think the message that is coming from the whole world is that the so-called elections will not be recognized.”

African leaders were likely to take a softer line here, mindful that few of them can throw stones over election issues. But behind the scenes, some were pressing Mugabe to negotiate a power-sharing deal with Tsvangirai.

The 84-year-old Mugabe basked in the opportunity to show regional recognition of his victory, a day after he was sworn in as president for a sixth term following last Friday’s voting. He entered the conference hall alongside his host, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, a U.S. ally who has also come under international criticism over unfair elections.

In meetings later, Mugabe hugged several heads of states and other diplomats, said one African delegate who was present.

“He was hugging everyone, pretty much everyone he could get close to,” said the delegate, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the meetings were closed to the media.

Jendayi Frazer, the assistant U.S. secretary of state for African affairs, said she expected African leaders to take a harder tone with Mugabe behind closed doors.

“I would suggest that one not take … the soft words in an open plenary as a reflection of the deep concern of leaders here of the situation in Zimbabwe. I would expect them to have very, very strong words for him,” Frazer told reporters.

In his opening address to the gathering, the AU’s head, Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete, congratulated the Zimbabwean people and AU mediators but not Mugabe himself. He called the elections “historic” but also said there were challenges.

A draft resolution written by AU foreign ministers and due to be approved by leaders at the summit does not criticize the runoff election or Mugabe. The draft, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press, condemned violence in general terms and called for dialogue.

Most African governments — including regional powerhouse South Africa — have been reluctant to criticize Mugabe, whether because of longstanding ties to the Zimbabwean leader, because of his reputation as an anti-colonial liberator — or because they do not want to be seen as backing the West against a fellow African. Also, Mugabe has threatened to point fingers at African leaders and their own suspect elections if they speak out against him.

The AU’s leaders were expected to gently urge Mugabe to engage in some sort of power-sharing agreement with the country’s opposition, along the lines of a deal that ended violence in Kenya earlier this year.

Africa should “do everything in its power to help the Zimbabwe parties to work together in the supreme interests in their country so as to overcome its current challenges,” African Union Commission chairman Jean Ping told delegates.