Tsvangirai in France on last leg of three week tour
By Tichaona Sibanda
25 June 2009

Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai is in Paris, France appealing for investment and political support, but was told the unity government isn’t moving fast enough towards reform. Reports said French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner met Tsvangirai on Thursday and reminded him of the need to respect human rights and to have a free media in the country.

Kouchner added that the international community remained concerned about the rule of law in Zimbabwe and about the areas of security, media freedom and respect for private property.

Tsvangirai is in Paris on the last leg of a tour that has taken him to the London, Washington, Berlin, Stockholm and Brussels, to try to drum up support for the unity government. The Prime Minister returns home on Saturday.

He has said the tour was aimed at shoring up international backing as well as re-engaging the West after a ten year period of isolation. So far, Tsvangirai and his delegation have managed to raise close to US$200 million from western governments and donors.

Economist Isaac Dziya said Tsvangirai will use the messages he has been getting from world leaders to try to persuade Robert Mugabe to go along with reform, or there will be no real aid for the unity government.
‘I think the world leaders were being diplomatic, the message to reform was being directed towards Mugabe. So the spotlight is now on him to implement the remaining issues in the Global Political Agreement or no one will send any meaningful aid to the country,’ Dziya said.

‘Tsvangirai has kept to his bargain and has been asking for sanctions to be lifted. If Mugabe wants the sanctions to be lifted he simply needs to reform or he’ll get nothing. Tsvangirai has done a lot by re-engaging these countries its now up to the three principals to ensure they comply with what they agreed in the GPA,’ Dziya added.

Last week Amnesty International said Zimbabwe continued to suffer from persistent and serious human rights violations, despite the formation of the new unity government.