[No surprises here. Jan]

DESPERATE to halt discussion about his governments forced removals programme, Operation Murambatsvina, in the United Nations (UN) Security Council and to avoid expulsion from the International Monetary Fund, (IMF) Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has flown to China for help.

Sources said at the weekend Mugabe might offer the Chinese more substantial commercial concessions, including access to coal and platinum deposits in return for help in protecting the country at the UN and from IMF expulsion.

Mugabe’s growing closeness to China could put South African commercial interests in Zimbabwe under threat and may be designed to exercise pressure on Pretoria for a loan to repay the IMF, sources said.

The Zimbabwean government is understood to have earlier turned down a Chinese offer to build a power station because of the large concessions demanded by Beijing. Anglo American has interests in coal in the Hwange area, while Impala Platinum has a substantial investment in the country’s platinum resources.

Official Chinese Xinhua news agency said yesterday that Mugabe, who left for China on Friday, would meet Chinese President Hu Jintao, number two in the Communist hierarchy Wu Bangguo and Premier Wen Jiabao today, but did not say what would be discussed.

Mugabe toured China’s northeastern province of Jilin yesterday, where he was scheduled to visit the headquarters of First Automotive Works Group, the country’s top car maker.

Mugabe’s plans to visit China took on greater urgency late last week after the release of the damning UN report, authored by special envoy Anna Tibaijuka, on his government’s campaign of forced removals.

However, as an Air Zimbabwe plane was unavailable due to the country’s fuel shortages, sources say Mugabe was forced to charter a plane from Thailand and leave behind most of a sizeable business delegation.

He was, however, accompanied by his central bank head and several senior government ministers, according to Zimbabwe state media.

Internal recriminations are understood to have been sparked within the ruling Zanu (PF) by the report by Tibaijuka, who is UN-Habitat executive director, which recommends the Zimbabwean government should “prosecute all those who orchestrated this catastrophe”.

Zimbabwe also faces a week of intense international scrutiny this week.

It is likely the report will be presented to the security council and its expulsion from the IMF will be discussed on Wednesday. However, a diplomat at the UN said it was “early days” in any process for Zimbabwe to be discussed in depth in the council with a view of adopting sanctions.

It is expected that Tibaijuka’s report will be presented to the security council as soon tomorrow for consideration, while further discussions may take place at a later date.

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has signalled that he will want discussion of the report not to focus so much on action by the body, but rather on help for those who have been driven from their homes in Zimbabwe.

Agreement is required among the 15 members of the council to place any topic on the agenda and it is understood that of the permanent five members, the US, UK, France and Russia, are in broad agreement, but China is resisting such a move.

Russia is traditionally somewhat reluctant to broaden the security council agenda with new items, but is understood to be more receptive to discussing the Zimbabwe issue.

Among the current nonpermanent African countries on the council, it is understood that Algeria is resisting discussion on Zimbabwe.

Tanzania, whose President Benjamin Mkapa has strongly defended Mugabe in the past, and Benin, may also be persuaded that Zimbabwe needs to be placed on the agenda.

However, more decisive action may be forthcoming at an executive board meeting of the IMF in Washington on Wednesday even if SA does pay Zimbabwe’s arrears to the IMF.

In an effort to avoid “compulsory withdrawal” and show a degree of co-operation with the IMF, Zimbabwe devalued its dollar last week.

Source: AllAfrica.Com
URL: http://allafrica.com/stories/200507250363.htm…/p>