Bush Calls For End To Mugabe's Repression

Carter, Kannan Refused Entry To Zimbabwe To Study Country's Humanitarian Crisis

(CBS/AP)  While attending an economic summit in Peru, President George W. Bush called for an end to the repressive actions and violence attributed to the government of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, and said a legitimate government must be formed there.

"Nearly eight months have passed since the Zimbabwean people voted for a new president, yet they still are governed by an illegitimate regime that continues to suppress democratic voices and basic human rights," he said in a statement.

"In addition to its disastrous economic policies which have forced half the population to rely on food assistance, the Mugabe regime is now assaulting doctors and nurses, denying citizens access to basic medical services, and stealing donor funds intended for HIV/AIDS patients."

CBS News White House correspondent Mark Knoller reports that Mr. Bush, citing approximately 1,300 independently-documented incidents of politically-motivated violence and harassment by the government, called for an end to the Mugabe regime's "brutal repression of basic freedoms and for the formation of a legitimate government that represents the will of the people as expressed in the March 2008 elections."

Mr. Bush said the United States would honor its commitment of emergency humanitarian assistance, and would provide other forms of assistance "pending the formation of a legitimate government that represents the will of the Zimbabwean people."

Carter, Annan, Others Refused Entry To Zimbabwe

Meanwhile, Zimbabwe has refused to let Kofi Annan and two eminent colleagues visit the impoverished African country for a humanitarian mission, the three said Saturday.

The former U.N. secretary-general, ex-U.S. President Jimmy Carter and rights advocate Graca Machel had planned to assess the country's needs. They are members of The Elders, formed by former South African President Nelson Mandela to foster peace and tackle world conflicts.

Zimbabweans are suffering from disease and hunger while political crisis over a power-sharing government occupies its politicians. A current cholera outbreak has killed nearly 300 people in Zimbabwe, the United Nations said.

But the three were told Friday night by former South African President Thabo Mbeki, who is mediating the political crisis, that efforts to secure travel visas for the a two-day trip had failed.

"We are very disappointed that the government of Zimbabwe would not permit us to come in, would not cooperate," former U.S. President Carter said at a news conference in Johannesburg.

It was the first time the 2002 Nobel Peace laureate has been denied permission to carry out a mission in any country, he said.

Machel, a rights advocate for women and children who is married to Mandela, said she was denied a visa to visit Zimbabwe in July when she had planned to lead a women's delegation.

Annan said no official reason had been given for the refusal.

Zimbabwe's state-run Herald newspaper reported Thursday that the group had been asked to "come at a later date" to accommodate the crop planting season. It quoted an unnamed source as saying the group was seen as antagonistic toward Zimbabwe's government.

Government officials in Harare could not immediately be reached for comment Saturday.

The Elders had said the trip was entirely separate from regional attempts to get Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe and his rivals to implement a power-sharing agreement stalled since September.

Later Saturday, Zimbabwe's main opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai met the group at a hotel in Johannesburg, saying he was disappointed they could not meet under "better circumstances."

He said, Zimbabwe's humanitarian crisis had reached "catastrophic levels."

Tsvangirai accuses Mugabe - who had been in power since Zimbabwe's 1980 independence from Britain - of trying to hold onto powerful Cabinet posts.

The political impasse has left the country without leadership as its economy collapses, with deadly consequences. Lack of cash to maintain water and sewer systems, for example, has led to the cholera outbreak.

"It seems obvious to me that the leaders of the government are immune to reaching out for help for their own people," Carter said.

Zimbabweans face daily shortages of food, fuel and other basic goods. In the countryside, failed harvests mean that starving villagers compete with jackals, baboons and goats for roots and wild fruits.

As the country suffers from the world's worst inflation, health care has collapsed. Hospitals unable to afford drugs, equipment or staff salaries have been forced to shut down.

There is growing regional concern about Zimbabwe's crisis, as millions have left for neighboring countries in search of jobs and security.

"Any crisis that creates millions of refugees is regional, and everyone should be interested in resolving it," Annan said.

Annan and the group of Elders were determined to continue efforts to address the humanitarian crisis in Zimbabwe, and planned to meet various leaders and organizations in South Africa.

The Elders - including 12 former world leaders and prominent rights activists - have mediated in a number of other international crises, such as Sudan and Kenya. The group was launched last year to celebrate Mandela's 89th birthday.

[lloydbest1]

Posted by michaelt3032 at 01:23 PM, 10:22 AM and 10:17 AM : Nov 23, 2008

Not disputing any of that. You were in Africa, I wasn''t........
But the fact so many do compare Bush to Mugabe (even favorably as you have) does not speak well for Bush. No president should have so shoddy a reputation that he and a monster like "Mugs" could even be mentioned in the same breath; or that one of the few things to be said in his favor is that "He''s better than Mugabe." And even being ABLE to compare our country to Zimbabwe is a stark reminder of how far we have fallen.
I believe we can do better than that. A significant majority of eligible voters tapped Obama because they shared that belief. Whether "O" turns out to be merely "Bush Lite", as one poster on another thread suggested, remains to be seen. But even if the newly elected president falls short of expectations, my belief is that he can, at least, start the long process of elevating our country back to the high status it took more than 200 years to attain.

[ffoulkes-2009]

Hey Mr. Bush, why don''''t you stop the repression right here in America by stop trying to cram down our throats more then a Quadrillion in worthless derivatives.

________________________________________
Posted by whitemale08 at 11:33 PM : Nov 22, 2008
Do a little research%u2026These Derivatives have been a thorn in our side for decades. We started getting warnings back in 1974 that this would turn around and bite us in the @$$, but we ignored it%u2026

[earache4]

Bush Calls For End To Mugabe''s Repression

The same way the American public called for an end to republican repression.....

[formrusmcsgt]

As if anyone even pays attention to Bush anymore....

[refbatch]

Russian natives have no more human rights in Russia then people in Zimbabwe.
Kremlin has already established hide islamic regime with mimicry of democracy and freedoms.
So called "ellected" new President of Russia Mr.Medvedev cares about this for nobody would understand the transformation of country with slow long term genocide of russian nation.
I think situation in United States is the same.
In Moscow moslems already show for russians that they are "third sort race",organizing sabotage in shops,drugstores etc. with insults till fight.
*By some reason all american Media avoid the theme.

Mr.G.W.Bush now looks like very near to Mr.Gorbatchev - only words.

[pete_in_az]

i got three words that will take care of that problem over there, thermal nuclear warfare, aka the hydrogen bomb.

"Nearly eight months have passed since the Zimbabwean people voted for a new president, yet they still are governed by an illegitimate regime that continues to suppress democratic voices and basic human rights," he said in a statement.
---
Take out the reference to Zimbabwean and I swear he as talking about the year 2000 and the U.S.

[whitemale08]

Hey Mr. Bush, why don''t you stop the repression right here in America by stop trying to cram down our throats more then a Quadrillion in worthless derivatives.

And your boy "helicopter Ben" is printing more money then the private central bank of Zimbabwe.

Why does the private Federal Reserve System print all of this worthless ''paper-butt-money'' and yet the private central bank of Zimbabwe can''t?

[karl2m]

incog-nito and jsl45: i couldn''t agree more. However, the guy will never get it. He has a bulletproof ego that shields him from any kind of criticism. He''s speaking the truth. The absolute truth. A truth that history will prove to be right. All his contemporaries don''t understand yet that the great leader is ahead of his time, and that it will take the rest of us 50 years or so to catch up with his wisdom. Until we get to understand The Great Leader, we maggots are only capable of making wrong choices, such as electing obama, since we have never really understood the great leader well enough to devote our lives to him...
Sounds a lot like Stalinism doesn''t it? Ideology rules, at the expense of reality.....
But this time it is the great Leader himself who is telling us what to think, so he must be right.....

Bush has visited the Rwandan president Kagame, and ever since, Rwandan troops have freely roamed eastern Congo, in search of exportable goods. The people felt betrayed, as they were being sold out to the equivalents of "blood diamond" or coltan traders. Not that anyone cares.
Mugabe knows *** well why and how he''ll get away with this.
When will the west (not only the clown) apply some real pressure????? The mugabe regime is a shame to all of us.

[brianbwb-2009]

"Nearly eight months have passed since the Zimbabwean people voted for a new president, yet they still are governed by an illegitimate regime that continues to suppress democratic voices and basic human rights,"...

If Al Gore had more spine, he could have truthfully said the same about Bush, except that eight months would become eight years.

[incog-nito]

In other news, President Bush has announced that between now and Jan 20th, he will be working hard for world peace and harmony, a cure for cancer, achieving immortality, and if there''s any time left, learning a foreign language.

[neonink]

http://www.amconmag.com/article/2008/nov/17/00006/


even The American Conservative magazine lists Bush''s failures. Please George, just take a long Christmas vacation, take a long run, and sit back and be quiet until Jan. 20th.

[downsteamjim]

walt and lastdance: I see the Seig Heil fan club let you out early. Don''t forget to practice your goose stepping for your tryout with ''Dancing in your Drawers''.
P.S. Send Rev. White my regards.

[jsl45]

Can''t believe he''s running around telling the rest of the world how to behave when he''s been the worst example.....can''t wait for him to go back to the ranch and stay out of the public

[walt1944-2009]

The Great Emperor Bush II has called for an end to the "repressive" government of Mugabe in the country of Zimbabwe!

Of course, there are many in the USSA who would also call for an end to the REPRESSIVE and totally IRRESPONSIBLE government of the Great Emperor Bush II as well!

Secretly, however, it is believed that the Great Emperor Bush II is highly envious of the work Mugabe has done in repressing his people and creating an economy with 1,000,000% inflation together with a totally worthless currency!!!

These are the same goals that the Great Emperor Bush II together with his neocon Fascist Nazi Republican allies have been working towards in the USSA, and which the Great Emperor Bush hopes to achieve in the 2 months he has left in office.

Even after he leaves office, he is sure that those stupidly-loyal neocon Fascist Nazi Republican congressmen still around will continue his work of making the rich richer, the poor poorer, and getting a "slice of the pie" for themselves like Ted Stevens and John McBush have done!!!

SIG HEIL, I''LL CREATE A 4TH REICH YET!!!, BUSH!!!

[inventagod2]

Quack

Waddle

Quack

Waddle

Lame duck president - anyone listening?

[jumkey]

Talking about a moron,so you think its ok to fly a plane inside of a building,blow up ships,embassies,and kill innocent people?

Posted by specialty8

Wow, are you suggesting the United Stated stop doing these things? That''s be quite a change for out foreign policy which is composed almost entirely of terrorist acts committed against other nations and innocent civilians.

[specialty8]

txlakeside,
Talking about a moron,so you think its ok to fly a plane inside of a building,blow up ships,embassies,and kill innocent people?You would be the first one to cry when you had no fuel to put in your car.I bet you would say"we should have done something".

[specialty8]

I would say almost all on here would be furious if they had no gas to go to Walmart or take the kids shopping.It would be a bunch of angry people.As of right now there is no other solution.This country would shut down.Like it or not that is what Bin Ladden wants.He is scarred of Bush, thats why he lives in a cave somewhere.He may be planning to sit down with Obama and have some serious talks.

[revdrdark]

Perhaps the headline should read, "Mugabe calls for end to Bush Oppression."