§ Mrs. SpelmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on(a) the progress of the Abuja Agreement in Zimbabwe and (b) the prospects for the elections next year. [18634]
§ Mr. BradshawWe continue to encourage the Government of Zimbabwe to honour the commitments they made in Abuja on 6 September. However, their actions over the past three months show scant regard for these commitments and have seriously undermined the Abuja Agreement.
With Commonwealth, SADC, EU partners and other concerned members of the international community, we continue to encourage the Government of Zimbabwe to create a climate conducive to free and fair elections. It is clear that there have to be significant changes in the arrangements which President Mugabe is in practice willing to put in place for observers to the election process, and the election process itself, if that election is to carry any credibility with the rest of the world and with voters in Zimbabwe.