[Oh please! Kofi Anan will fix Zimbabwe!? I laugh at such rubbish. Have you ever seen the UN fixing anything? The UN should be turned into a brothel. That’s all they are good for. Jan]

London – The United Nations holds the key to solving an economic and political crisis in Zimbabwe, said President Thabo Mbeki. According to reports, Mbeki threw his weight behind a planned visit to Zimbabwe by UN secretary general Kofi Annan who wanted to negotiate a deal with the country’s aging president, Robert Mugabe. Mbeki said: “We are all awaiting the outcome of his intervention. What Mr Annan is interested in is that the circumstances must be created for Zimbabwe to face their real problems: the falling standard of living and so on.” He said: “You have got to do something to turn around the economy. It is necessary to turn around the climate for that.” According to Mbeki, Zimbabwe’s government had agreed to a visit by the UN chief and was making the necessary preparations. Mbeki said: “You need to normalise relations between Zimbabwe and the rest of the world. “So, Annan’s interaction with the Zimbabwean government would be intended for those sort of outcomes, including what sort of assistance the UN would give.” A UN official said that Annan had been exploring the possibility of movement on the political and economic front ahead of a possible visit. He said: “At this stage, it would be premature to talk about an initiative. We are exploring whether there are possibilities.”

From News24 (SA), 24 May
Source: WWW.ZwNews.Com