June 24, 2008
No. 147
The Honourable David Emerson, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, today issued the following statement regarding the current situation in Zimbabwe and the decision of Zimbabwe Opposition Leader Morgan Tsvangirai to withdraw from the presidential run-off elections, scheduled for June 27, 2008:
"Canada welcomes the engagement of the United Nations Security Council, and in particular its presidential statement issued yesterday, which condemns the actions of the Government of Zimbabwe during this election period. We agree fully with the content of this statement, including the conclusion that the results of the March 29 elections must be respected. The Government of Zimbabwe will not be legitimate without a free and fair vote.
"Morgan Tsvangirai has made a principled decision to withdraw from the elections because he believes that the conditions in Zimbabwe will not allow for free and fair elections to take place on June 27. We join the Security Council in endorsing this assessment.
"It is clear that the alarming campaign of human rights violations and politically motivated violence, committed largely by state security and paramilitary groups, aims to intimidate opposition supporters and discourage them from voting. This, combined with the arrests of key opposition leaders, the prohibition on opposition political rallies, and the ban on opposition advertisements on state media, have contaminated the electoral environment.
"We reiterate our call on the Government of Zimbabwe to stop using the coercive powers of the state for political ends.
"We emphasize again the importance of the engagement of African leaders, particularly those in neighbouring countries, in ensuring respect for the democratic principles agreed to by African countries. We endorse the UN Security Council's call on Zimbabwean authorities to cooperate fully with all efforts to find a peaceful way forward, through dialogue between the parties, which allows the formation of a legitimate government that reflects the will of the people of Zimbabwe. Canada will continue to work with others to promote firm action against the current Zimbabwe Government.
"The people of Zimbabwe deserve an end to the violence and a chance to rebuild their country, and the people of Southern Africa deserve a return to regional stability."
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613-995-1874
www.international.gc.ca/index.aspx
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