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[In case anyone still questions which side to take.] Soros Slams Zimbabwe Election, Leaders to Meet March 19, 2002 5:03 am EST By Lucia Mutikani HARARE (Reuters) - On the eve of a Commonwealth meeting to assess last week's presidential election in Zimbabwe, international financier George Soros accused Robert Mugabe of stealing victory and said Africa would suffer for it. The leaders of Nigeria and South Africa left Harare on Monday for key talks in London on whether the Commonwealth should suspend Zimbabwe for what critics say was blatant election fraud by Mugabe. Hours later, Soros told a panel at a United Nations Conference in Mexico on Financing for Development: "Mugabe stole the election by preventing people in urban areas from casting their vote. "The elections in Zimbabwe have cast doubt on the ability of African states to create suitable conditions for private investment," he added. Foreign direct investment inflows into Zimbabwe have already virtually halted, falling from a peak of $436 million in 1998 to $5.4 million in 2001, largely due to waning investor confidence, according to the central bank. Foreign participation on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange has also plummeted, with net portfolio outflows of US$104.9 million recorded in 2001 compared to outflows of US$1.2 million in 2000. The Zimbabwean dollar has been fixed at $55/dollar since November 2000 but trades informally on the streets at up to 350 to the U.S. dollar. Opinions on the validity of the three-day poll remained sharply divided as Nigeria's Olusegun Obasanjo and South Africa's Thabo Mbeki arrived in London to meet Australian Prime Minister John Howard. The three men were tasked by the Commonwealth to assess the poll and decide whether the association linking Britain and its former colonies should impose any sanction. A Commonwealth observer group said last week the election was deeply flawed and did not allow for a true expression of public will. As a possible straw in the wind, Denmark said it would close its embassy and cease development aid to Zimbabwe in reaction to the disputed election. Last August Copenhagen froze most of its aid, planned to reach $14 million, and Tuesday said the rest would be phased out due to "constant violations of human rights and democratic rules." __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Sports - live college hoops coverage http://sports.yahoo.com/ --------------------------- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: archive@jab.org EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9617B Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
