Pressure is mounting on Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe to step down due to the worsening socio-political and economic conditions in the country. To make matters worse for the Zimbabweans, cholera epidimic has killed scores of people and is threatening to engulf the country. In the subcontinent, the after effects of the Mumbai terrorists attack continue to reverberate and both India and Pakistan have taken steps to address the menace of terrorism. These were the main events that made headlines this week. They were contemplated, analysed and commented on. We present here excerpts of editorials from the regional and the international press.
Zimbabwe crisis
There is mounting criticism of President Robert Mugabe for mismanaging his country and handling the cholera epidimic that has claimed around 800 lives int eh country. Some Western countries are calling for the ouster of Mugabe and the United Nations has warned that the deadly epidemic was getting worse. However, Mugabe is unmoved and blamed the Western powers for trying to use cholera as an excuse to invade Zimbabwe and overthrow him.
Commenting on the issue, Britain's Daily Telegraph said: As a cholera epidemic starts to engulf Zimbabwe and threatens to spread to the whole region, the world must now seek an urgent end to Robert Mugabe's murderous and illegitimate reign. The future bill for sorting out a southern African epidemic will inevitably end up, in part, being paid by Britain. It would be advantageous, both financially and morally, to finance action now and prevent a mass outbreak, rather than wait until millions of Africans are needlessly sent to their graves."
It also stressed on the role that South Africa needs to play to oust Mugabe. "There is an important role here, too, for South Africa, which risks being inundated with a massive influx of refugees. Given the damage Mugabe's continued leadership is likely to cause, now would be a good time to encourage the most prosperous African nation to take seriously its geopolitical responsibilities. The survival, and future prosperity, of millions of Africans depends upon it," it added. Washington Post termed South Africa as the stumbling block, as always and criticised its former president, Thabo Mbeki for supporting Mugabe's regime.
"Mbeki's successor as president, Kgalema Motlanthe, is a little better; he has made it clear that he does not consider Mugabe's government legitimate. But South Africa continues to insist on the unworkable formula cooked up by Mbeki months ago - a unity government that would leave Mugabe in power while giving opponent Morgan Tsvangirai the impossible job of rescuing the economy."
It stated: "It took military intervention by neighbours to end the insanity of Idi Amin and Mobutu Sese Seko; Zimbabwe begs for the same remedy."
A similar sentiment was expressed by Qatar's Gulf Times. It said, while a few African leaders have timidly called for Mugabe to step aside the strongest words of condemnation have come from those that Zimbabwe's dictator openly despises. But until recently even US President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown have not been as resolute as they should and both could have used their considerable influence to galvanise governments on the continent in a more meaningful manner.
"Instead, it was left to the Anglican church to state unequivocally what is required. 'The Zimbabwean situation is now a complete humanitarian outrage, compounded by self-serving and self-deceiving pronouncements from those clinging to power,' Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams said."
In the aftermath of the Mumbai terrorist attack, Pakistan has launched a crackdown on Lashkar-e-Toiba, a militant outfit blamed by India for fuelling terrorism in the region. Pakistan has also taken steps to ban Jamaat-ud-Dawa, a socio-political organisation which is alleged to be linked to Lashkar-e-Toiba. In India, however, politicians cutting across party lines have called for a strict action against Pakistan.
Commenting on the belligerent attitude of India, Britain's Independent suggested that pursuing military actions, however limited, as an act of revenge or even in pursuit of criminals has no part in international law. "It might please an angry public. It might seem tempting in the light of Pakistan's often feeble and dilatory efforts to control its own extremists. But it will only breed more extremism and angry nationalism in the nation attacked," it said.
Times of India drew a parallel with the Kargil war and 26/11 and stated that both incidents took place after unprecedented peace initiatives from Pakistan's civilian leaders and may have been intended to sabotage them.
"For peace to have a chance, Islamabad will have to do all it can to distance itself from LeT and terrorist organisations like it. But the civilian government's space for manoeuvre may be limited, with the fear of an army coup hanging over it," it remarked.
