David Miliband

Foreign Secretary

FCO Logo
« Afghanistan: still... | Main | Kosovo: Independent,... »
Thursday 26 June, 2008

Blog 24 June: Zimbabwe: UN Action

Yesterday's UN Security Council statement represents a significant step forward in the way the world has engaged with the issue of Zimbabwe. The language is unequivocal - condemnation of the regime. It won unanimous support - including South Africa as well as China. The desire for regional leadership - from the AU and SADC - clearly expressed.

Yesterday's exchanges in the House of Commons I hope clarified the difference between recognition of a state - which is necessary for diplomatic representation - and recognition of the legitimacy of a government, which is different. We of course "recognise" Zimbabwe as a country; we do not recognise the legitimacy of Mugabe's rule, not least since even he accepts that he lost the Parliamentary and Presidential election on 29 March (even if the Opposition challenger did not get 50% of the vote in the first round).

I hope they also exposed the hollow claim that we have to choose between self defeating megaphone diplomacy and silence. In every part of the world history matters. Britain's history of global engagement includes good and bad. But while we are conscious of our history, and conscious of the way it can be misused and caricatured, that history is a reason for good judgment about what to say - not a reason to say nothing.

Posted at 09:40 26 June 2008 by David Miliband  |  Comments[3]

  • Share this with:
Comments:

David, great decision on Mugabe. I think the FCO is, at times, too conscious of Britain's imperial history. There was good and bad in the empire, but most countries are surely well aware that Britain stands for nothing if not for liberty and decency.

Posted by Alexander King on June 26, 2008 at 02:36 PM BST #

cry zimbabwe, I read with interest that you are the youngest foreign minister since david owen - perhaps history will be repeated as I recall Owen put pressure on Vorster in south africa to get rid of Smith & stop supporting rhodesia - maybe the route is to put pressure on SA again, Mugabe can ignore the rest of the world as did smith but he can't ignore SA. ironic isn't it?

Posted by gill on June 27, 2008 at 10:27 AM BST #

Let us not forget that Zimbabwe was only technically ever a British colony for a few months in 1979-1980, so Mugabe's rhetoric is quite without substance. The country was initially a satrapy of the British South African Company, then from 1923 a self-governing territory with a franchise restricted to white, and later some professional black, citizens.

Posted by Peter on June 29, 2008 at 01:42 PM BST #

Post a Comment:
  • HTML Syntax: NOT allowed