EU, US urged to normalise ties with Zim

Mabasa Sasa in Santa Cruz, Bolivia—
POVERTY eradication should be central to national and international development policies, and countries must strive to attain sustainable production and consumption patterns for the good of all humanity, President Mugabe has said. Addressing the 50th anniversary commemorative summit of the Group of 77 Developing Countries and China here yesterday, President Mugabe reiterated his invitation to the European Union and the United States to review their position on Zimbabwe and normalise relations.

The extraordinary summit that ended yesterday was themed “A new world order for living well”.
“We are meeting at a critical time when the world is formulating the global development agenda to succeed the Millennium Development Goals. We note that progress on the MDGs has been uneven and that there are gaps in implementation,’’ President Mugabe said.

“It is, therefore, important that as we craft the Sustainable Development Goals, we ensure that the unfinished business of MDGs is integrated into the Sustainable Development Goals reflecting our commitment to a globalisation that has the wellbeing of all people at its core.

“In this regard, we are happy to note the emerging consensus on identifying poverty eradication as the first and primary goal of SDGs and the post-2015 development agenda.”

He went on: “In our quest for development we are, of course, cognisant of the need to ensure sustainable production and consumption patterns.
“Our activities today should, therefore, not place in jeopardy the future of our children and succeeding generations. We, therefore, call for commitment by all to good environmental practices and the address of issues of climate change.”

The G77+China is spearheading the global post-2015 development agenda that will succeed the MDGs.
In reference to Zimbabwe’s foreign policy, President Mugabe told delegates — who included several Heads of State and Government — that the country could not understand why the West still refused to recognise the government in Harare even after it was elected by the majority in an election that a multiplicity of observers endorsed.

“I am happy to inform this august gathering that in July 2013, that is last year, Zimbabwe held successful national elections which were acknowledged as being free, fair, credible and a reflection of the will of the people by a number of regional and international organisations, including the African Union, the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, the Southern Africa Development Community and the African-Caribbean-Pacific states observer groups.

“Despite this positive verdict, our detractors have remained trapped in their negative posture. We call on them to review their positions and join us in re-establishing constructive relations.”

Western countries imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe some 15 years ago after the government embarked on its revolutionary fast-track land reform programme that saw more than 250,000 black families being resettled on holdings that were formerly held by just 6,000 white commercial farmers.

President Mugabe, who was accompanied by Foreign Affairs Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi and other senior government officials to the summit, said the G77+China should leverage on its status as the largest single bloc in the United Nations to bring about a change for the better in international affairs.

“Let us, therefore, harness this collective strength to guide global affairs towards a new world order founded on the principles of justice, equity, sovereign equality of states, mutual respect and the pursuit of multilateralism.

“As we celebrate the Golden Jubilee of our movement, we need to reflect on how effectively we have fulfilled our collective mandate and at the same time identify strategies to achieve the noble objective of a new and just world order.

“While our organisation has notched some commendable successes since its founding, our countries still have to grapple with the central aspirations that necessitated the establishment of the G77.”

President Mugabe added: “Developing countries still face unfavourable conditions in the global market place. The more powerful countries not only set the rules, but also adjudicate them. They control all the economic institutions, including the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the World Trade Organisation.

“Undoubtedly, there is a real and present need to reform this skewed international financial architecture. The inequalities between the rich and the poor countries continue to widen. Rules that govern international economic relations appear to apply only to those of us who are gathered here (in reference to developing nations).
“Accordingly, we should be resolute in our demands for a more transparent, inclusive representative democratic governance.”

The G77+China was last night expected to adopt a declaration that called for the urgent need to restructure the international financial architecture, demand reforms of the UN system with particular regard to the Security Council, and push for adoption of a post-2015 development agenda that prioritised poverty eradication, food security and gender equality, among other matters of global concern.