Frosty Zimbabwe-Britain Ties Begin to Thaw: Analysis

The frosty relations between Zimbabwe and Britain are believed to thaw with the signing of an agreement between the two countries to solve Zimbabwe's land crisis after eight-hour hard negotiations.

"I think the coast is clear for a thriving British-Zimbabwean relationship," Zimbabwe's Foreign Minister Stan Mudenge told reporters in Nigeria's capital Abuja on Friday, a day after the agreement was reached at a Abuja meeting attended by Commonwealth foreign ministers.

Under the agreement, Zimbabwe agreed to halt occupations of the white-owned farms and was committed to restoring the rule of law while proceeding with the land reform.

On its part, Britain consented to make a "significant financial contribution" to fund Zimbabwe's land resettlement program and promised to put money into a fund administered by the United Nations Development Program to compensate white farmers for seized farmland.

The Commonwealth has welcomed this land agreement.

"We have spent the best part of eight hours arguing over some very small details but the commitment from the Zimbabwe representatives was very strong," Commonwealth Secretary General Don McKinnon said.

Nigerian Foreign Minister Sule Lamido described the deal as "a total breakthrough".

CLOSE LARGE GAP

Britain and Zimbabwe have exchanged words since the southern African country implemented its land reform program which had been hampered by lack of adequate financial resources.

Violences and clashes resulted from seizures of white-owned farms by "war veterans". Especially after the ban of BBC's operation in Zimbabwe, the bilateral relations became strained.

Britain thereafter spearheaded international criticism of the government of President Robert Mugabe on its handling of the land issue.

Earlier this month, Britain threatened to work for the expulsion of Zimbabwe from the 54-member Commonwealth at its next meeting to be held in Brisbane, Australia, on October 5.

On the eve of the seven-nation Commonwealth talks aimed at easing the strained relations between the two countries, the gap of their differences remained large.

Zimbabwe insisted that the major agenda should deal solely with the land reform program, while Britain demanded that the scope be enlarged to accommodate the "critical issues of democracy, good governance, human rights and the rule of law".

Ahead of the meeting, host Nigeria's President Olusegun Obasanjo urged Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair and Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe in separate phone conversations to show " flexibility", saying "give and take" is necessary for both sides to achieve progress.

Meanwhile, the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group Tuesday expressed the hope that the Abuja meeting would "make progress towards reaching a solution which would benefit all people of Zimbabwe".

In its response, Zimbabwe on Wednesday accepted a land offer from white farmers aimed at breaking an impasse over the country's land reform program, saying it was going to Abuja with an open mind.

The talks will be successful if Britain is prepared to free itself from an imperial outlook, Zimbabwean Secretary for Information and Publicity George Charamba was quoted as saying.

Before his arrival in the Nigerian capital on Wednesday at the head of a high-powered delegation for the meeting, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said he was going to Nigeria "with a constructive spirit, but also a realistic one".

GIVE and TAKE

The deal between Britain and Zimbabwe is a typical outcome of " give and take" to solve their disputes over the latter's controversial land reform, observers said.

"The agreement we reached yesterday (Thursday) is a compromise, " Mudenge said.

At the venue of the meeting, the positions of the two countries did not change in the beginning, but they were being harmonized after Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo brought both sides back to the table earlier in the day.

"In fact, the atmosphere was reflective of the tone set by President Olusegun Obasanjo, when he spoke at the breakfast session he had with the delegates at the State House earlier," local analysts said.

However, out of internal and international reasons, Zimbabwe promised Britain that the issue of land reform could not be separated from other issues of concern to the Commonwealth such as the rule of law, respect for human rights, democracy and the economy.

The lingering land crisis in Zimbabwe has reportedly led to the increasing political instability in Zimbabwe, along with rising unemployment and food shortages, among other acute problems.

However, the African countries and some other developing countries have criticized Britain's over-reaction over the land reforms, saying that the issue of land reform in Zimbabwe is largely an internal matter.

Under these circumstances, Britain agreed to support the land reform program of the Zimbabwean government and fund for the program in exchange for restoring the rule of law.

However, how to turn the agreement into action is still a big challenge the contracting parties are facing. Zimbabwe's land resettlement program will be orderly and peaceful if parties at the Abuja meeting live up to their commitments, Mudenge said with confidence.






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