Zimbabwe's Unresolved Crisis Looms Over Mwanawasa Funeral
Though Mr. Mwanawasa was one of the few African leaders to openly criticize him, President Mugabe praised the late Zambian leader, desc
Zimbabwe's unresolved political crisis loomed large Wednesday as African leadersgathered in Lusaka, Zambia, for the funeral of PresidentLevy Mwanawasa, who died on August 19 in Paris at the age of 59after suffering a stroke in June at an African Union summit in Egypt. Mr. Mwanawasa was laid to rest on the day he would have turned 60. . U.S AssistantSecretary of State for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer and British Minister forAfrica Mark Malloch-Brown were also on hand. President Robert Mugabe and Movement for Democratic Change founder Morgan Tsvangirai both traveled to Zambia to attend the funeral ceremonies. Upon arrivingin Lusaka, President Mugabe praised Mr. Mwanawasa, describing him as "frank." Mr. Mwanawasa on a number of occasions in recent years was openly critical of Mr. Mugabe and his government, calling his controversialre-election June 27 “embarrassing.” The crisis in Zimbabwe hovered over the funeralproceedings. So serious do some African leaders consider the crisis that Foreign Minister Bernard Membe of Tanzania, currently holding the African Union chair, said an ad hoc summit should be held in Lusaka after the burial. Zimbabwean power-sharingtalks in progress since late July were on hold, although some sources said they might pick up again later thisweek in Harare. Membe said this week that the negotiations should bewrapped up soon and recommended a 50-50 division of executive powers between Mr. Mugabe and Tsvangirai. But Reutersquoted Tsvangirai as telling a Johannesburg radio station Wednesdaythat the negotiations have broken down and were unlikely to resume soon.