Former Zambian President Kaunda urges Mugabe to open up Talks
Sunday Herald Australia
09 April 2007

ZAMBIA'S founding president Kennneth Kaunda today urged his long-time
ally Robert Mugabe to open talks with Zimbabwe's opposition in order
to end the political crisis in the southern African nation.

Mr Kaunda, in his weekly newspaper diary, said all parties in
Zimbabwe should come together and embrace South African President
Thabo Mbeki who has been mandated by regional leaders to help resolve
the crisis.

"I hope and pray that Mugabe will ... talk to Morgan Tsvangirai and
they will sit together to find answers to the problems Zimbabwe is
facing today regardless of who brought these problems," he said.

He said the appointment of Mbeki as mediator by the Southern African
Development Community (SADC) regional bloc was bringing hope to
Zimbabwe.

"It is therefore a very hopeful situation developing in Zimbabwe.
With the outstanding ability of SADC, who can have doubt that we are
getting ready for a new start in Zimbabwe," the 82-year-old former
president said.

Mr Kaunda insisted that there was no need to "demonise" Mugabe over
the problems in his country saying the crisis had been caused by a
historic blunder of Zimbabwe's former colonial master, Britain.

Mr Kaunda's support for 83-year-old Mugabe is in contrast to that of
Zambia's current President Levy Mwanawasa who has compared the
situation in Zimbabwe to the sinking of the Titanic.

Zimbabwe has currently has the world highest rate of inflation at
1730 per cent while four out of five people are unemployed. Mugabe
has also attracted Western criticism after recent assaults on
opposition leaders.

http://www.news.com.au/sundayheraldsun/story/0,21985,21523270-5005961,00.html