SOUTHERN AFRICA: Leaders of southern African states rounded on western powers yesterday, backing Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe and stating that Africans were tired of being preached at from countries which had denied them democratic rights under colonial rule.
Mugabe's controversial seizure of white-owned farms for landless blacks and his contested re-election in 2002 are a major focus of a Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit which opened in Mauritius.
Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa launched a stinging attack on Western countries pressing SADC to ensure democracy.
"We are tired of being lectured on democracy by the very countries which, under colonialism, either directly denied us the rights of free citizens, or were indifferent to our suffering and yearnings to break free and be democratic," Mr Mkapa told the summit's opening ceremony.
President Mkapa said the region should develop electoral laws in line with its political, social and cultural background.
The summit aims to adopt common electoral rules across the SADC region. But Mr Mkapa said the proposals were not directed at any one country or group of countries, a reference to media reports that the proposed reforms were designed to apply restrictions on Mr Mugabe.
"In democracy as in all other things, no one size fits all," he said. "Multiparty democracy and its attendant elections must never be a cover for the destabilisation of our countries," Mr Mkapa said.
Mauritian Prime Minister and new SADC chairman, Mr Paul Berenger, praised Mr Mugabe and said polls next year would be free and fair.
Domestic and Western opponents accuse Mr Mugabe of destroying Zimbabwe's agricultural base through seizing farms and rigging his re-election in 2002. Mr Mugabe says his country is being undermined by enemies led by Britain.
The Malawian president told the summit that southern Africa should treat AIDS as a political,social and economic crisis because it was killing off people crucial to its development.
President Bingu wa Mutharika said: "We continue to lose prominent politicians and members of parliament to the AIDS pandemic."
Almost two-thirds of the world's HIV/AIDS sufferers - or 25 million people - live in sub-Saharan Africa, while Botswana and Swaziland have the highest prevalence rates, above 35 percent. - (Reuters)