S. Africa voices anger over Mugabe ban
S. Africa voices anger over Mugabe ban
MELBORNE, Australia, Sept. 16 (UPI) -- South Africa berated Australia for
banning Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe from the next meeting of
Commonwealth leaders, the Australian reported Tuesday.
Australian Prime Minister John Howard was accused of using "megaphone
diplomacy."
As relations soured between the two countries, Howard told parliament it
would be a "travesty" if Mugabe were allowed to attend the Commonwealth
Heads of Government Meeting to be held in Nigeria in December.
Zimbabwe has been suspended from the Commonwealth since March 2002,
following general elections in the African country that Howard said
yesterday were suspect.
But South African President Thabo Mbeki is urging other Commonwealth leaders
to adopt a more tolerant position toward the strife-torn country.
"We don't think that using megaphone diplomacy will work and we hope the
Australian Government in particular will understand this position," a
spokesman for Mbeki told ABC radio yesterday.
--
JimB
Union Against Multiculturalism
http://www.geocities.com/UAM01
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