UN envoy had ‘very good’ talks with Mugabe

By Stella Mapenzauswa

HARARE (Reuters) – A U.N. special envoy said she had “verygood” discussions with President Robert Mugabe on Wednesday asshe began a probe into Zimbabwe’s widely condemned urbancrackdown that has left at least 300,000 people homeless.

Anna Tibaijuka, executive director of housing agencyUN-HABITAT, has been in Zimbabwe since Sunday on a mission toassess the crackdown which Mugabe’s critics have condemned as aserious human rights violation.

After the meeting she toured Harare’s oldest township ofMbare, where thousands of illegal shops and homes have beenflattened in an operation locals have dubbed “the tsunami.”

“We had very good discussions, constructive discussion,”she told journalists after one-and-a-half hours of talks withMugabe. She offered no further details.

Western countries and organizations including Britain, theUnited States, the Commonwealth and the European Union havecriticized the operation, which has caused the deaths of atleast two children crushed in demolished houses.

Mugabe’s government has defended the demolitions, known as”Operation Restore Order,” saying they were meant to root outblack market trade in scarce foreign currency and basic foodcommodities which had thrived in shantytowns.

The veteran leader said he told U.N. Secretary-General KofiAnnan’s envoy his government wanted to implement the clean-upbefore March 31 parliamentary polls but had feared it would bemisconstrued as an attempt to drive out opposition supporters.

“We had wanted to do this before the elections but then wefeared it would be said that we were preparing the way for ourown victory and affecting the position of the MDC adversely.

SWIPE AT BLAIR

Mugabe, whose government is at odds with former colonialpower Britain mainly over its controversial land reforms, tookanother swipe at British Prime Minister Tony Blair, suggestinghe had tried to influence Tibaijuka’s mission.

“She is a United Nations director of Habitat and belongs tothe United Nations and not to stupid Blair,” the 81-year-oldleader said. Tibaijuka said she would report only to Annan.

The MDC accuses Mugabe’s ZANU-PF party of rigging Marchelections and has taken the ruling party to court challengingsome of the results, which came amid the country’s worsteconomic crisis in decades.

Mugabe told reporters he believed the demolitions wouldbring long-term benefit.

“Obviously there is some degree of suffering even when youbreak down a slum, but as I told (Tibaijuka), yes there isdiscomfort now, but discomfort in order to get comfort later.”

Tibaijuka later toured Harare’s teeming township of Mbare,among areas worst hit by the crackdown, ahead of similar visitsin other cities.

“We are suffering out in the cold during the nights, pleasehelp us get places to stay,” one man shouted in the local Shonalanguage as the envoy’s team walked along rubble-strewnstreets.

This week Mugabe’s government vowed to step up a newhousing program to benefit those left homeless, which aidagencies have pegged at over 300,000. Zimbabwe’s mainopposition says the figure is now more than 1.5 million.