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the principles of the founding fathers,” said President Mugabe.
“Principles are being sacrificed on the altar of expediency as (the late Ghanaian leader Kwame) Nkrumah would have said. Because you are being assisted by the West, you, therefore, must bow to the West.
“It is a terrible period and it is selling out of the principles of the founding fathers, and Zimbabwe can not stand for that.”
Cde Mugabe said the African Union (AU) determined that Libya’s National Transitional Council (NTC) will only be accorded a seat on the continental body after the AU Summit accedes.
He said African leaders were backing negotiations between the NTC and Colonel Muammar Gadaffi’s loyalists as well as the withdrawal of Nato forces from Libya.
“As far as we are concerned, the African position is that the NTC can only have a seat in the AU if the Summit of the AU recognises that,” said President Mugabe.
“In fact, now that they are in control, they are the de-facto authority of Libya.
“We will not go as far as the Europeans, Nato countries, to recognise them de jure to say they are the absolute government. No, of course, because we still want negotiations, inclusive negotiations between the NTC and the Gadaffi loyalists.
“So, that to us remains the issue. Will there be negotiations? Will there be an inclusive government? Will there also be the withdrawal of those who intervened illegally using Chapter VII of the (United Nations) Charter and interpreting it in a broader sense, which sense was an illegal one, in order to enable them to do the things they have been doing: pounding, battering and harassing the population of Libya.”
Last week, President Mugabe arrived in New York with a busy schedule on his hands.
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He attended the High-Level Meeting on Non-Communicable Diseases where he implored the international community to help developing countries prevent and treat the conditions by increasing assistance.
Member states eventually adopted a political declaration that identifies prevention as the foremost global strategy to combat the diseases.
President Mugabe also addressed the High-Level Meeting on Desertification, Land Degradation and Drought in the Context of Sustainable Development and Poverty Eradication.
He told delegates to embrace zero net land degradation and adopt effective land reclamation programmes.
He said it was critical to deal with drought and land degradation expeditiously, as they compromise the social, economic and environmental pillars of sustainable development.
On Wednesday, he attended the official opening of the 66th Session of the UN General Assembly.
He later met AU Commission chairman Dr Jean Ping who declared his re-election bid and also clarified the AU position on Libya.
President Mugabe discussed investment opportunities in Zimbabwe with an American business delegation led by civil rights activist Reverend Jesse Jackson.
Addressing the main plenary on Thursday, President Mugabe castigated Nato for deliberately misinterpreting provisions of the UN Charter in order to steal Libya’s oil and impose leadership on its people.
He said the AU should not be undermined and also called for the reform of the UN Security Council to, among other issues, include two permanent seats for Africa.
He also urged member states to recognise Palestine’s bid for nationhood and full UN membership.
Regarding the Western-imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe, the President said: “When we in Zimbabwe sought to redress the ills of colonialism and racism, by fully acquiring our natural resources, mainly our land and minerals, we were and still are subjected to unparalleled vilification and pernicious economic sanctions, the false reasons alleged being violations of the rule of law, human rights, and democracy.
“My people have condemned these illegal sanctions and recently, over two million signatures of protesters have demonstrated their antipathy to them. We thank Sadc and the African Union for supporting us and demanding the immediate removal of the illegal sanctions.”
Online Reporter