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United States Cautiously Welcomes Zimbabwean Unity Government

By Stephen Kaufman
Staff Writer

Washington — The Obama administration has extended its congratulations to Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai for becoming the country’s prime minister, but says it is waiting to see evidence of true power sharing and effective governance before offering additional development assistance or easing its targeted sanctions against President Robert Mugabe and his key supporters.

Acting State Department spokesman Robert Wood said February 11 that the United States is reserving judgment on the new government. “We need to see evidence of good governance and particularly real, true power sharing on the part of Robert Mugabe before we are going to make any kind of commitment,” he said.

Along with good governance, the Obama administration wants to see “a government that truly reflects the will of the Zimbabwean people,” Wood said.

Zimbabwe held presidential and parliamentary elections in March 2008. Despite violence, intimidation and a media environment that heavily favored Mugabe’s ruling Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF), Tsvangirai’s opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) gained a majority in the country’s parliament and Tsvangirai won more presidential votes than Mugabe or third-party challenger Simba Makoni.

However, Tsvangirai withdrew from a presidential runoff election against Mugabe after a sustained campaign of violence and intimidation directed against his supporters.

After months of negotiations, the MDC and ZANU-PF agreed to form a unity government January 30.

While welcoming Tsvangirai’s inclusion in the government as prime minister and acknowledging that he would need international help to confront Zimbabwe’s food, health and economic crises, Wood said the United States “will not consider providing additional development assistance or even easing sanctions until we see effective governance in the country.”

“That's going to be key,” he said. “And then we'll see what … we can do.”