Zimbabwe must have 'road-map' to legitimacy, says US

The American envoy for Africa called for a "road-map" to achieve "regime legitimacy" in Zimbabwe yesterday, which would inevitably mean the departure of President Robert Mugabe from office.

In a telephone interview with The Independent, the Assistant Secretary of State, Walter Kansteiner, who is in Botswana, said that Washington hoped the latest initiative by African leaders to intervene in the Zimbabwe crisis would produce a blueprint for the future. This would shape a transitional process leading to a new government which would respond to the needs of Zimbabweans.

Mr Kansteiner said "regime change" was not the phrase he would use to describe his government's policy on Zimbabwe but "regime legitimacy".

"Regime legitimacy is what everyone is striving for. Can and will and how do the people of Zimbabwe have their voice heard? How do the governing institutions in Zimbabwe reflect legitimacy in the eyes of the Zimbabwe people," he said.

In an article published in South Africa yesterday, the widely respected national director of the South African Institute of International Affairs, Greg Mills, said there was no hope for Zimbabwe unless President Mugabe goes. He said the departure of Mr Mugabe could perhaps be the real start of the so-called African Renaissance.

Asked whether he agreed with such a sentiment, Mr Kansteiner said: "I think the people of Zimbabwe need a government which is responsive to their needs and suffering. If that happens, that would be a good day indeed."

The presidents of South Africa, Nigeria and Malawi, Thabo Mbeki, Olusegun Obasanjo and Bakili Muluzi visited Zimbabwe this week for talks with Mr Mugabe and his main adversary Morgan Tsvangirai. But their plan to set the stage for the retirement of the 79-year-old president hit a snag when they failed to broker a dialogue between Mr Mugabe and Mr Tsvangirai, leader of the Movement for Democratic Change. Mr Mugabe demanded full recognition by Mr Tsvangirai before talking to him. Mr Tsvangirai refused, saying he would not recognise someone who "stole" an election.

The three African leaders, however, vowed to continue with their efforts to bring the two to the negotiating table.

Mr Kansteiner said the US government fully backed their initiative but was not involved in it. "Our role comes in once the people of Zimbabwe and the regional leaders have mapped out a course," he said.

"Where we can assist is with technical assistance, in preparation for an electoral process. We can assist on reconstruction and re-development. We have resources not only financial resources but also technical expertise. I think that's the big role that we can eventually play," he said.

However Mr Kansteiner's use of the term "road-map" has parallels with plans for peace between Israel and the Palestinians backed by the US, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations. The model involves the successful sidelining of the Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in favour of a new Prime Minister, Mahmoud Abbas.

The Independent reported last week that America, Britain and South Africa had voiced their preference for the former Zimbabwean finance minister, Simba Makoni, as a suitable interim figure to take over from Mr Mugabe.

On the eve of their arrival in Zimbabwe, Mr Mbeki and his colleagues were attacked in President Mugabe's tightly controlled state media which suggested they were visiting Zimbabwe as "agents" of the British and US governments.

Mr Kansteiner said the crisis in Zimbabwe was not sustainable: the economic, humanitarian and civil liberties crises had all converged into a major political crisis needing an urgent solution. He noted that it was important that the three African presidents had met both Mr Mugabe and Mr Tsvangirai. The transitional process required agreement from the two leaders, he said.

Many Zimbabweans have been quoted as calling for President George Bush to invade the country and topple their leader as he did in Iraq. Mr Kansteiner ruled out such a prospect.