From Volume 7, Issue 34 of EIR Online, Published August 19, 2008
Africa News Digest

Tsvangirai Does London's Bidding, Refuses To Sign Deal

Aug. 18 (EIRNS)—Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the London-controlled faction of the Zimbabwe opposition party MDC, yesterday rejected attempts by the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), at its annual summit in Johannesburg, to resolve the deadlocked power-sharing negotiations with President Robert Mugabe, and another opposition faction, led by Arthur Mutambara. Tsvangirai's refusal prolongs the crisis; he has agreed to accept the position of prime minister, but wants the position to be recognized as the head of government. Tsvangirai's rejection sabotages efforts being spearheaded by South African President Thabo Mbeki to use SADC to lay the framework for SADC's 15 nations to ultimately become the industrial powerhouse of Africa, which the City of London-based financial cartel does not want, since it threatens London's plans to reimpose imperial control over the continent of Africa. London is also intent on preventing other nations, such as those of Asia, from having access to African resources.

South Africa began its rotation as chairman of the SADC at the summit Mbeki hopes to begin implementation of a Free Trade Area and a Customs Union for the member-nations, with the ultimate goal being a common currency for the SADC nations.

After the summit ended, SADC leaders continued talking about how to resolve the Zimbabwe standoff, and are now reported to be increasing the pressure on Tsvangirai to agree to a power-sharing agreement hammered out by the three negotiating partners, under the mediation of Mbeki. The South Africa Sunday Times today reports that SADC leaders are telling Tsvangirai to sign, or let the Zimbabwe pre-election parliament be called into session to form a government, which would work against Tsvangirai, since an alliance between Mugabe and Mutambara would provide a parliamentary majority.

Tsvangirai has the backing of the British government, and allied governments; the British have said they will only recognize a government led by Tsvangirai. The British government has promised, with the help of other nations, to provide $3.5 billion to begin rebuilding the Zimbabwe economy once an agreement is reached, and Tsvangirai is installed as prime minister.

A draft agreement of 44 pages has been agreed to by all three participants; the only question remaining is whether Mugabe or Tsvangirai has the authority to appoint the cabinet.

According to reports from South Africa, Mugabe, Mutambara, and Mbeki think that Tsvangirai is being manipulated by London, with the support of others in the West. Both London and the Bush Administration, according to this report, have been insisting that Mugabe should not be part of any new deal.

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband has precisely the same position as Tsvangirai, as to why the deal should not be accepted: "I understand why Morgan Tsvangirai and the MDC cannot accept an agreement that fails to reflect the democratic will of the Zimbabwean people."

Mutambara told the West to back off from the Zimbabwe crisis talks and allow Zimbabweans to find their own solution to their problems. He told online City Press in South Africa, Aug. 14, that undue interference from the U.S. and Britain had threatened the negotiations. "We are offended by the external influence on the dialogue. The West must back off and allow us to talk among ourselves," he said, and cited the sanctions meted out after the signing of the historic memorandum of understanding which allowed the talks to begin, as a case in point. "Why impose sanctions while we are talking? We see that as a vote of no confidence in us as Africans. You are insulting the intelligence of Mugabe, Tsvangirai and Mutambara. And that is a travesty of justice, [because] we are smart enough to make our own decisions...."

But City Press noted that "while Mutambara has joined Mugabe in attacking the West, Tsvangirai remains silent."

After the summit Mbeki organized a meeting of the SADC committee on politics, defense, and security cooperation to discuss plans for continuing the negotiations. Today Tsvangirai reportedly began a ten-day tour of the region to ask SADC leaders to back his drive to take over the government. His first stop was Botswana, whose President, Seretse Ian Khama, boycotted the SADC summit because Mugabe was attending. No other SADC heads of state boycotted.

Algerian Press Cover LaRouche on British War Drive, Economic Crash

PARIS, Aug. 15 (EIRNS)—Two major French-language Algerian newspapers gave top coverage to Lyndon LaRouche yesterday. This follows the June 23 installation of Algerian Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia, who recently decided to revoke the neoliberal economic reforms which have been destroying the country, and announced a freeze on all ongoing privatizations. The state will retake majority shares in a certain number of privatized companies, as a protectionist measure.

Ahmed Saber of the financial daily Le Maghreb: Le Quotidien de l'Economie ran an article yesterday composed of quotes from LaRouche's statement "The Hour of Denial," on the death of the financial system and the generational cultural paradigm that prevents the current experts, leaders, and decision makers to face up to the situation. The full article is at http://www.lemaghrebdz.com/lire.php?id=12450.

Also, one of Algeria's top seven dailies, L'Expression, a pro-government paper with circulation of over 60,000, ran a feature, "Georgia, the Third World War Has Begun" on Aug. 14, both on its website and in the print edition, giving extensive quotes from the LaRouche-associated French Solidarité et Progrès website, featuring LaRouche's devastating attacks on the British.

The article, written by a prominent professor of the Algiers Ecole Polytechnique, Eddine Chitour, starts his article with a quote: "When you live in a zoo [the Caucasus], you don't go into the bear cage to tickle him."

Known for his denunciations of the "clash of civilizations," Chitour describes the blatant Pearl Harbor-style sneak attack by Georgia against Ossetia, "deploying batteries of multiple Grad rocket launchers, the modern equivalent of the 'Stalin organs.'"

Chitour's complete article can be found at: http://www.lexpressiondz.com/article/8/2008-08-14/55331.html.

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