Zimbabwe and Southern Africa (Hansard, 7 July 2003)

§ Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean
My Lords, the Zimbabwe crisis is damaging regional economies and has adversely affected their interest rates, inflation, foreign direct investment and tourism. A study by the Zimbabwe Research Institute in May estimated the total cost to the combined Southern African Development Community countries to have been at least 1.88 billion dollars at the end of 2002. Zimbabwe's neighbours are also suffering damage to local production from the influx of cheap Zimbabwean goods, unpaid Zimbabwean debt, an increase in largely unskilled migrants and the cross-border spread of foot and mouth disease.

§ Lord Blaker
My Lords, do the Government still agree with the assessment of the noble Baroness, Lady Amos, that for every year of ruination in Zimbabwe it will take 10 years to recover? That is on the economic side. On the political side, does the noble Baroness believe that the African countries are sufficiently taking into account the fact that the longer they fail to live up to their obligations under the treaty for the African Union, NePAD and the SADC, to exercise peer pressure for human rights, good governance and the rule of law in Zimbabwe, the more that will lead to various treaties losing credibility and authority?

§ Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean
My Lords, I agree with my noble friend the Secretary of State at DfID that the longer this goes on the more difficult it is for the African economies to recover. I mentioned Zimbabwe's unpaid debts and the effect that the crisis is having on tourism in the region as just two of the instances where matters are worsening. I was very glad 8 to learn that the African Union meeting is due to take place in Mozambique on Thursday and Friday of this week. That will provide a further opportunity to sound out African opinion on prospects for inter-party talks. I hope that the noble Lord will be pleased to learn that my honourable friend Hilary Benn, the Minister of State at DfID, will attend that meeting in Maputo.

§ Baroness Northover
My Lords, only last week the Mayor of Harare was here pointing out the desperate need for food aid in both rural and urban areas. Can the noble Baroness assure us that the Government will be able, given their commitments elsewhere in the world at the moment, to maintain or increase their aid to Zimbabwe in the case of this particular crisis? Given the movement of refugees across the border out of Zimbabwe, can the noble Baroness give me an idea of the progress being made by DfID and the Foreign Office in terms of developing a strategy for the whole of Southern Africa?

§ Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean
My Lords, we have devoted some £51 million to feeding Zimbabwe's hungry people since September 2001. We have been taking part directly in feeding 1.5 million of Zimbabwe's hungry people. We are, of course, working with international partners to maintain the pressures for change. Obviously, we work with the European Union, the United States and the Commonwealth. It is very important that, in doing all these things directly with aid, at the same time we reinforce that with pressure for a democratic solution. The Zimbabwe crisis is obviously producing a flow of refugees across its borders. One of the countries which is suffering is Botswana, which is having to repatriate around 1,000 Zimbabweans a week. South Africa's interior Minister claims that 3,000 Zimbabweans are being returned from South Africa this week. It is enormously important that we remain engaged with regional strategies to try to deal with the refugee issues.

§ Lord Howell of Guildford
My Lords, I know that the Government's line has been quiet diplomacy and quiet dialogue. One understands that in certain circumstances that works. But has the Minister noticed that the American Secretary of State has spoken out in very strong terms about President Mugabe's violent misrule and said that his imminent removal is a worthy and urgent goal? Has the Minister also noticed that the President of the United States is billed to speak shortly in South Africa in the same firm terms? Has the Minister further noticed that the American Congress has passed resolution after resolution pointing out the horrors taking place as the Zimbabwean economy collapses? Does the Minister think that it is time perhaps to revise the Government's approach and side more strongly with the Americans and others in bringing to an end Mugabe's hideous and cruel rule?

§ Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean
My Lords, I very much welcome what the United States has done over this, particularly what Secretary of State Colin Powell said in relation to what is going on in 9 Zimbabwe. There was a quite disgraceful counter-attack from the Herald newspaper which referred to him as, a disgraceful Uncle Tom who always sang to his master's voice to the detriment of social justice and the rights of people of colour". That was a quite disgraceful thing to have said.
I am also pleased that President Bush will visit five African countries and will talk to President Mbeki among others about Zimbabwe. But let me respond to the noble Lord. He said that we should be more strident on this point. I put it to the noble Lord that if we were to do as he asks, we would very much play to Mr Mugabe's agenda—that every time Britain speaks on this matter, we speak as a colonial power. That is the argument that he uses with other African countries. That is why we have experienced difficulties in the United Nations. At every opportunity President Mugabe portrays us an an old colonial power. What he wants is for this to become a bilateral row with the United Kingdom, and that is what we have to guard against. Therefore, we urge others to make the points. We are quite prepared to help to make the bullets but sometimes it helps to have someone else firing them.

§ Lord Elton
My Lords, has the Minister seen reports that over 30 people in Bulawayo died of malnutrition last week? As she has suggested, would it not be less confrontational than my noble friend's proposed policy simply to ensure that food aid is delivered to those members of the Zimbabwean population who are presently being driven into starvation deliberately by the government of that country? Since this Question relates to the neighbouring countries, will Her Majesty's Government co-operate with them to ensure that those people receive the food aid that they already need?

§ Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean
Yes, my Lords; I strongly agree with the noble Lord's comment. The shortages in Zimbabwe are made a great deal worse by the regime's imposition of untenable prices and by the fact that the government try to have a monopoly on the distribution of food. That has been one of the main causes of the worsening of the already appalling plight of so many people in Zimbabwe. We have been working with other international organisations, as I indicated in my answer to the noble Baroness, Lady Northover. It is enormously important that we try to work round the Zimbabwe administration in order to ensure that food gets to where it is really needed.