July 2001 Africa News Headlines

Tuesday, July 10, 2001 - Web posted at 10:16:23 AM GMT

Africa backs Mugabe on land
NICHOLAS KOTCH

LUSAKA - African ministers rallied behind Zimbabwe over its controversial land reform programme on Sunday and accused Britain of seeking to isolate and vilify its former colony in Europe and North America, diplomatic sources said.

The ministers named South Africa, Nigeria, Algeria, Cameroon, Kenya and Zambia to a committee to support Zimbabwe in future talks with the European Union and other parties on land reform, the sources said.

African diplomats said the tough resolution, obtained by Reuters, was unanimously adopted early on Sunday by the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) council of ministers.

It was put to OAU heads of state at their summit meeting which opened in the Zambian capital yesterday.

"Its very likely that it will go through in its present form. Zimbabwe was seen as victim and there was lots of sympathy. The feeling was that the EU and the United States were pressing too hard on Zimbabwe," one senior diplomat told Reuters.

EU, US BACK BRITAINMugabe says former colonial power Britain must pay compensation for the land to be seized by the state.

But London has said it will not finance land reform amidst chaos and disregard for the rule of law.

Both the EU and the United States back Britain on the issue and have threatened sanctions.

Mugabe plans to confiscate five million hectares of the 12 million hectares held by white farmers and has earmarked more than 5 000 farms for redistribution to landless blacks.

The OAU ministerial resolution said the land issue was essentially a colonial one despite British efforts to internationalise it.

It said British lobbying had led the EU to demand a deep and wide-ranging political dialogue with Zimbabwe.

"The ministers noted with concern British moves to mobilise European and North American countries to isolate and vilify Zimbabwe, leading to the imposition of formal and informal sanctions against it," the resolution said. - Nampa-Reuters

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