Zimbabwe ready for friendly ties with West: Mugabe

HARARE: Zimbabwe wants new and friendly relations with Western countries who have been critical of it in the past, President Robert Mugabe said on Tuesday.

Mugabe, in power since independence from Britain in 1980, also reiterated a call for sanctions against Zimbabwe to be lifted. “Our country remains in a positive stance to enter into fresh, friendly and cooperative relations with all those countries that have been hostile to us in the past,” he said at the opening of parliament. Mugabe has long been a pariah in the West, blamed by critics for plunging his country, once the bread basket of southern Africa, into poverty through mismanagement and corruption.

He has accused his Western foes of ruining the economy through sanctions in retaliation for a policy of seizing white-owned farms for landless blacks. Those countries say the sanctions only target him and close associates. His government has also been criticised for human rights abuses, including repression of opponents and the media. “Our re-engagement with the EU block is gathering momentum. However, as our inclusive government re-engages the Western countries, we expect those countries that have imposed illegal sanctions, which have hurt our people and continue to hurt our economy...to remove them,” Mugabe said.

On Tuesday opposition MDC parliamentarians applauded Mugabe when he called for unity among Zimbabweans in a conciliatory speech which analysts said was mild compared to his previous fiery, anti-West speeches at previous parliament openings. “Together let us build the bridges of amity, forgiveness, trust and togetherness,” Mugabe said. Foreign aid donors and investors remain reluctant to put money into Zimbabwe until further progress has been made towards democratic reforms. reuters

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