South African president Thabo Mbeki will soon be jetting off to the Middle East in an attempt to work a miracle and bring peace to the Middle East.
Meanwhile back in Africa, elections in the Congo look unstable with civil war a strong possibility especially if there is no resolution to convince the opposition to participate in the elections. The situation in Zimbabwe continues unabated. The shaky peace deal between Southern Sudan and Northern Sudan looks like it may fall apart, and the genocide continues in Darfur with no breakthrough looking possible between Khartoum and the Darfur rebels. Chad is now accusing Sudan of instigating the Chadian rebel attack in Adre and has said that they are now in “a state of war with Sudan”. In a statement made this week Chad called on its citizens to mobilise themselves against Sudanese aggression.
I’m a firm believer in the “tidy up your own backyard before telling others how to tidy their’s principle” but in answering Mahmoud Abbas’ invite to visit the Middle East and help find peace Thabo Mbeki clearly believes that he has something to offer.
Ehud Olmert has already said that he will not meet any foreign officials who meet with Hamas. Does Mbeki expect to make a difference by meeting (again) with the Palestinians and not meeting with Israelis?
South African commentator on the Middle East Peter Fabricius agrees. Writing in The Mercury, he argues that South Africa should rather devote its already over-stretched resources to tackle the problems on its own doorstep – like Swaziland and Zimbabwe. Read it here.
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