Tsvangirai meeting President Obama at White House

By Tichaona Sibanda
12 June 2009

The Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai is meeting United States President Barack Obama on Friday seeking re-engagement and help for the cash-strapped inclusive government though, he will likely be told more reforms are needed first.

Tsvangirai will become the second African leader to have a meeting with President Barack Obama at the Oval office since his inauguration early this year. Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete was the first African president to meet President Obama at the White House.

Media reports from Washington say Friday’s meeting will underscore the quandary Obama faces - how to support Tsvangirai's efforts to rebuild Zimbabwe's shattered economy, without bolstering Robert Mugabe.
Mugabe has been widely accused of years of misrule and western countries largely shun him. Recently President Obama extended targeted sanctions Mugabe and his ruling elite, saying the country had not resolved its political crisis.

Under the administration of former President George W. Bush, the United States had put targeted sanctions on Mugabe and a number of key individuals in 2003. The sanctions ban more than 250 Zimbabwean individuals and companies from doing business with the United States, and also include an arms embargo.

Tsvangirai had arrived in Washington earlier this week as part of a three-week tour of Western countries, trying to persuade governments to offer aid, despite ongoing concerns about Mugabe’s determination to hold on to power.

Economist Luke Zunga told us Tsvangirai will plan to use Friday’s meeting to make his case that the inclusive government is on a new path and will try to convince Western leaders that Zimbabwe is undergoing democratic reform.

‘He will leave the Oval office with some guarantees of aid or help. What he will not get is a financial package that goes straight to government because of their obvious concerns it would bolster those forces that are stalling on reforms,’ Zunga said.