EDITORIAL COMMENT: Further re-engagement success in Brussels

As expected, President Mnangagwa’s visit to Brussels for the Sixth African Union- European Union Summit has accelerated Zimbabwe’s re-engagement drive and made considerable progress in the normalisation of relations.

The President was not just treated as a “normal” African President at the summit, given all the diplomatic courtesies, and so was able to take his natural place at the table when intercontinental issues were debated and thrashed out, but was also able to have serious discussions with leaders of countries who had been in somewhat antagonistic relationships with the Zimbabwean Government early this century.

At the conclusion of the visit what were described as authoritative diplomatic sources, a phrase that generally around the world means off-the-record information from very high up, were able to note that only two of the 27 EU members still had reservations about lifting unconditionally the sanctions on Zimbabwe, down from 15.

It was also noteworthy these sources were very careful not to name these two. This makes it obvious that the differences that still exist are not considered fundamental, but rather need further diplomatic efforts to address concerns, carefully explaining what Zimbabwe is doing and showing the concerns are basically groundless.

Zimbabwe has come a very long way under the Second Republic using diplomacy rather than confrontation to change perceptions and it is wise to continue that process.

Of course, the diplomacy needs something to work with. Here the political, legal, administrative and economic reforms that Zimbabwe has made and is continuing to make under the Second Republic provide the requirements for the diplomacy.

These reforms were not made under pressure from outsiders nor were conditional on the removal of sanctions.

They were made because President Mnangagwa and his Government reckoned they were essential to fulfil the Second Republic goals of an open democratic society with decent economic systems and social services, zero corruption and fast economic growth widely spread across the population.

This is what is required to convert Vision 2030 of an upper-middle-income country into the reality of such a country.

The fact that such reforms have the useful by-product of addressing many of the concerns of some outsiders is a significant bonus, but the reforms were driven by internal factors.

Zimbabweans wanted them more than anyone else and were quite capable of articulating what was needed and generating them without international pressure.

But the fact that they are internal should help the diplomacy, since they are far more likely to be long-lasting than any reforms generated as conditions.

Those are always subject to change and reversal while measures wanted by a country tend to just be improved as time goes on.

It also means that our diplomacy is not seeking conditional agreements, but rather very carefully explaining what we are doing, and offering the proof of what we have already done, and then showing how this can meet the concerns of others, perhaps in a different way than what was expected, but with the same outcome.

Here Presidential intervention can be most useful in settling minds and clarifying exactly what Zimbabwe is doing, and such intervention was obviously useful in Brussels.

Besides joining the continental discussions and doing some top-end diplomacy, President Mnangagwa found time for economic contacts.

Major investors like to be able to at least check in with the person at the top, not so much for detailed talks since those are done formally with the designated officials, but to create the general atmosphere that can smooth the processes and can short-circuit any problems down the line.

But one of the most interesting meetings was not with an investor, but with the CEO of the Antwerp World Diamond Centre, Mr Ari Epstein, and not secretively, but with photographers present.

Antwerp is the centre of the world diamond business and trade and Mr Epstein heads the public-private entity that both regulates and co-ordinates the entire operation of the many companies involved in selling, buying, cutting, polishing, testing and marketing.

Besides insisting on business integrity and strict conformity with rules such as the Kimberley process, it provides a lot of information to the global trade on operations around the world, basically telling businesses who is on the up-and-up.

His desire to meet President Mnangagwa implies strongly that Zimbabwe’s diamond operations meet his exacting standards.

When we consider the sort of thing that was being written and said a few years ago, and which still gets dredged up by those who wish us ill, it shows the progress made under the Second Republic to enforce high standards, and to thus change perceptions.

Our fellow producers have already shown their confidence in Zimbabwe by electing us to the post that means we do our one-year stint next year as chair of the Kimberley process. Now we have another vote of confidence from the rest of the industry.

Mr Epstein, who must be easily the best informed outsider, was also upbeat about Zimbabwe’s potential, reckoning we can fairly rapidly push our output to US$5 billion a year.

Obviously he hopes Antwerp will get a slice of that extra business, but just as importantly he made it clear that Antwerp, with its regulations and reputation to uphold, sees no concerns in doing that extra business.

President Mnangagwa has always stressed that Zimbabwe’s forward progress has to be done a step at a time, but that we should be making these forward steps fairly frequently. His two-day visit to Brussels contributed several steps.