Tsvangirai Meets Kufuor, Ki-Moon

Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai says he will continue diplomatic engagements with world leaders in efforts to resolve the electoral crisis in that country. He hopes to elicit pressure from the leaders aimed at getting Zimbabwean president, Mr. Robert Mugabe to step down. According to him, the people of Zimbabwe were being short-changed by the failure to announce the election results. Mr. Tsvagirai was speaking at a news conference in Accra Tuesday April 22, 2008. He was in the country to consult with the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon and president Kufuor on the issue. Three weeks after the country conducted its elections, the Zimbabwe Independent Electoral Commission is yet to release the results. Supporters of Mr. Tsvangirai claimed he won the election by 53 per cent, enough to avoid a run-off. But independent analysts say he obtained about 49 per cent of the votes. The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader told journalists that his meetings with the two were productive. He dismissed the contents of a document suggesting that the MDC will pursue Mr. Mugabe and his government in a political witch-hunt. He said the document was not credible adding “it is not a document that is originated from the MDC”. “All we are saying is that Mugabe must respect the will of the people. What are you going to do with Mugabe?” he asked. He said Mugabe was the founding president of Zimbabwe and expressed the hope that he will accept defeat and have an honourable exit. That, according to him was necessary for a peaceful transition in the country. He has since left Ghana.