Annan to visit Zimbabwe despite Harare's objection

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The Elders are in no particular order: Kofi Annan, Ela Bhatt, Lakhdar Brahimi, Gro Harlem Brundtland, Fernando Henrique Cardoso, Jimmy Carter, Graça Machel, Mary Robinson, Desmond Tutu and Muhammad Yunus. Aung San Suu Kyi is an honorary Elder.

21 November 2008

HARARE (AFP) — Former UN chief Kofi Annan will travel to Zimbabwe, a spokeswoman said on Thursday, despite objections by President Robert Mugabe's government which branded the trip a "partisan mission."

Annan announced last week that he would travel to Zimbabwe this weekend with former US president Jimmy Carter and rights activist Graca Machel, wife of former South African president Nelson Mandela.

But Mugabe's government warned Thursday that the trio, who belong to a group of statesmen known as the Elders, should postpone the mission, claiming that they were trying to support the opposition in power-sharing talks.

"The original plan is that the Elders will visit Zimbabwe on November 22 and 23. That plan has not changed. They will still go to Harare," Katy Cronin, spokeswoman for the Elders, told AFP.

Annan said in a statement that they have no intention of interfering in talks on Zimbabwe's proposed unity government.

He said that the visit will enable them "to make a first-hand assessment of the humanitarian situation in Zimbabwe.

"The Elders are deeply concerned about the impact of the deteriorating economic situation in Zimbabwe on the population," he said.

"The purpose of our visit is to meet those working on the ground to better assess the extent of the crisis and how assistance can be improved," Annan said.

"We have sought meetings with political leaders in Zimbabwe and would be pleased to hear their views."

Cronin said that Annan had sought a meeting with Mugabe but had received no reply.

The government-mouthpiece Herald newspaper denounced their trip, saying: "The visit has been deemed a partisan mission by a group of people with partisan interests."

Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai agreed on September 15 to form a unity government, but the talks have broken down over disputes on how to divide control of key cabinet posts.

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