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Thank you very much for calling this hearing on the crisis facing Zimbabwe. I know that President Mugabe's troops are still in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Congo). I am concerned about the recent outbreak of fighting around Kisangani between Rwanda and Uganda, two former allies. Yet if relations can break down between Eritrea and Ethiopia, I guess hostilities between Rwanda and Uganda should not come as a big surprise. My most recent visit to Harare was in December of last year. I traveled with Rep. Amo Houghton (NY) and the Minority Speaker of the House, Rep. Gephardt (MO). At that time they were preparing to vote in January on the referendum on land reform. At a time when independence movements were sweeping across most of the continent, Zimbabwe was still deeply ruled by its British colonial masters. When independence finally reached Zimbabwe two decades later, the land issue still had not been resolved. In contrast to this, northern Rhodesia, now Zambia, was able to successfully redistribute land previously owned by white farmers. Land issues exist all over the world. For example, I found during my visit to Papua New Guinea that they too have land disputes. However, they have managed to resolved these issues in a peaceful manner. Perhaps Zimbabwe could use these two countries as models for themselves. Finally, let me say that while the land issue is a point of contention, it should be treated as a separate matter from the elections. President Mugabe should not use the land issue, fear and intimidation before the elections as a way to consolidate his power base. Furthermore, I cannot condone the killings of innocent people. Once again, thank you for calling this hearing on Zimbabwe. [end of document] Official Texts | African Affairs | Department of State | Secretary of State |
