---

Zimbabwe: Elections

My Lords, there is one person who, by virtue of his position in his own country and its geographical situation, could have prevented this whole terrible saga if he had acted decisively and with determination years ago, and that is President Mbeki of South Africa. He could have prevented the whole thing happening. Why did he not do it? It was he who said that Africa’s problems should be solved by Africans, so the rest of the world backed off. I remember it happening a few years back; we did what he suggested. The role that he has played has not been helpful in any way. His quiet diplomacy became a sort of mirage behind which a lot of things were suggested to be happening, when not very much was actually happening. If people agree, we should bear that in mind, and we should in some way show that this is our belief; it is certainly my belief. The G8 is about to hold a conference, to which he has probably been invited. If that is the case, could not the invitation be withdrawn?