Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe yesterday revelled in his red carpet welcome by China, as other countries pressed for a UN Security Council meeting on his slum demolition drive.
Mugabe is on a six-day visit to China and has been warmly greeted as "an old friend" by President Hu Jintao (
At the same time, Britain was urging a Security Council meeting on his slum demolition campaign as UN chief Kofi Annan ruled out a visit there until Harare ended its shantytown evictions and allowed humanitarian aid in.
Council members said Harare's campaign of razing shantytowns had left 700,000 Zimbabweans homeless and destitute and affected a further 2.4 million, but there was no consensus on holding formal consultations.
Diplomats said China, which has publicly backed his drive to demolish illegal housing in his homeland, was one of the countries who expressed reluctance to have a formal debate on the issue.
In Beijing yesterday, Mugabe met parliamentary chief Wu Bangguo (
Wu said yesterday that his visit and talks with Mugabe last November had left him with "a deep impression," and he embraced the frail-looking Zimbabwe leader.
"May I begin by also expressing my gratitude and appreciation for the very warm welcome that we have had as a team since our arrival and for the excellent facilities laid at our disposal," Mugabe told Wu.
During talks, the two sides have signed agreements covering economic and technical cooperation, including the supply of computer equipment.
A memorandum of understanding was also penned between China's Ministry of Justice and Zimbabwe's Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, although no details were given.
The China Daily said a deal was also struck for the export of Chinese-made short-haul MA60 planes while loan financing was agreed for Zimbabwe's Hwange Power Station.
"We have had excellent discussions, excellent in the sense that what were still ideas formulated in a draft form in some cases have now become real agreements," Mugabe said. "We have appended our signatures to them and we are very, very happy that we have done this to cement our relations with a great friend, historical friend, brotherly friend, and that is the People's Republic of China."
In another sign of their friendship, Mugabe, a former teacher, was awarded an honorary professorship by Beijing's Foreign Affairs University.
Observers have said his main purpose in visiting Beijing was to plead for oil and loans to aid his state's failing economy, although no details have been released on any agreements.
Zimbabwe needs hard currency to repay loans to the International Monetary Fund. It also suffers from shortages of fuel and food.
Mugabe is aiming to fulfill his "Look East" policy of fostering better relations with Asian nations following sanctions and isolation from other parts of the world.
He was to meet with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (
ECONOMIC WORRIES: The ruling PAP faces voters amid concerns that the city-state faces the possibility of a recession and job losses amid Washington’s tariffs Singapore yesterday finalized contestants for its general election on Saturday next week, with the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) fielding 32 new candidates in the biggest refresh of the party that has ruled the city-state since independence in 1965. The move follows a pledge by Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong (黃循財), who took office last year and assumed the PAP leadership, to “bring in new blood, new ideas and new energy” to steer the country of 6 million people. His latest shake-up beats that of predecessors Lee Hsien Loong (李顯龍) and Goh Chok Tong (吳作棟), who replaced 24 and 11 politicians respectively
Archeologists in Peru on Thursday said they found the 5,000-year-old remains of a noblewoman at the sacred city of Caral, revealing the important role played by women in the oldest center of civilization in the Americas. “What has been discovered corresponds to a woman who apparently had elevated status, an elite woman,” archeologist David Palomino said. The mummy was found in Aspero, a sacred site within the city of Caral that was a garbage dump for more than 30 years until becoming an archeological site in the 1990s. Palomino said the carefully preserved remains, dating to 3,000BC, contained skin, part of the
Russian hackers last year targeted a Dutch public facility in the first such an attack on the lowlands country’s infrastructure, its military intelligence services said on Monday. The Netherlands remained an “interesting target country” for Moscow due to its ongoing support for Ukraine, its Hague-based international organizations, high-tech industries and harbors such as Rotterdam, the Dutch Military Intelligence and Security Service (MIVD) said in its yearly report. Last year, the MIVD “saw a Russian hacker group carry out a cyberattack against the digital control system of a public facility in the Netherlands,” MIVD Director Vice Admiral Peter Reesink said in the 52-page
‘WATER WARFARE’: A Pakistani official called India’s suspension of a 65-year-old treaty on the sharing of waters from the Indus River ‘a cowardly, illegal move’ Pakistan yesterday canceled visas for Indian nationals, closed its airspace for all Indian-owned or operated airlines, and suspended all trade with India, including to and from any third country. The retaliatory measures follow India’s decision to suspend visas for Pakistani nationals in the aftermath of a deadly attack by shooters in Kashmir that killed 26 people, mostly tourists. The rare attack on civilians shocked and outraged India and prompted calls for action against their country’s archenemy, Pakistan. New Delhi did not publicly produce evidence connecting the attack to its neighbor, but said it had “cross-border” links to Pakistan. Pakistan denied any connection to
RSS