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WORLD NEWS Friday 17 November 2017
Regional summit expected to formalize terms of Mugabe exit

By FARAI MUTSAKA has used as a mediator Africa expert for the Inter- back of him.” fair elections.Mugabe has
ANDREW MELDRUM before. First lady Grace national Crisis Group. As Zimbabweans waited been in military custody, re-
Associated Press Mugabe was not pictured, “They are working on the anxiously for details of a portedly with his wife, since
HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — however, amid specula- choreography of how deal, South African Presi- the army seized control of
In the first round of nego- tion over the future of a this will be done. By call- dent Jacob Zuma told par- the capital late Tuesday.
tiations over how President There has been no sign
Robert Mugabe will leave of former Vice President
power, the Zimbabwean Emmerson Mnangagwa,
leader met Thursday with whose firing last week an-
the army commander who gered supporters in the
put him under house arrest military amid concern that
and mediators, including Grace Mugabe would re-
South African Cabinet min- place him at a party meet-
isters and a Catholic priest. ing next month. Mnangag-
Meanwhile, an emergency wa, who fled Zimbabwe
summit of heads of state saying he had received
of regional countries was threats, is widely tipped to
called by the 16-nation be brought back to lead
Southern African Develop- Zimbabwe’s transition.
ment Community and is Knox Chitiyo, an analyst
expected to formalize the with the Chatham House
terms of Mugabe’s exit. think tank, said he believed
The summit puts region- the negotiations “have
al leaders who have pretty much reached an
worked with the 93-year- end point” to get Mugabe
old Mugabe for decades to step aside and that it
into the difficult position was a “matter of hours or
of either supporting what days.”He said the aim was
appears to be a coup or A person passes a newspaper headline in Harare, Zimbabwe, Thursday, Nov. 16, 2017. People a peaceful, managed
across the country are starting another day of uncertainty amid quiet talks to resolve the country’s
keeping the unpopular political turmoil and the likely end of President Robert Mugabe’s decades-long rule. Mugabe has transition and a dignified
president, the world’s old- been in military custody and there is no sign of the recently fired deputy Emmerson Mnangagwa, exit for Mugabe, who has
est head of state, in office. who fled the country last week. ruled since independence
In the first images of (AP Photo) from white minority rule in
Mugabe after the military woman whose rapid politi- ing a full summit, (the re- liament Zimbabwe’s po- 1980 and remains widely
moved in earlier this week, cal rise had alarmed many gional leaders) are show- litical situation “very shortly known, even praised, in Af-
Zimbabwe’s state-run Her- who feared she could suc- ing respect for Mugabe, will be becoming clear.” rica as a liberation leader.
ald newspaper published ceed her husband after he the last of the liberation Seizing on the political lim- Chitiyo said he doesn’t
photos of him smiling and fired his longtime deputy war heroes,” Pigou said. bo, Zimbawean opposition know where the ailing
shaking hands with army last week. “Mugabe wants the full leaders and civil society Mugabe would go but
commander Constantino “This is political theatre. fanfare as he exits stage groups urged Mugabe to that the destination is “like-
Chiwenga. The photos also Chiwenga and the army left. The regional leaders step aside after 37 years in ly driven by his health.”
showed South African Cab- want to give Mugabe a soft will be showing deference power and for the country Mugabe frequently seeks
inet ministers and a Catho- landing, a dignified exit,” to Mugabe, even though to have a transition pe- medical treatment in
lic priest whom Mugabe said Piers Pigou, southern they can’t wait to see the riod leading to free and Singapore.q

Africa politics creep into French PM’s visit to Morocco

By NADINE LESAGE forum involving nearly 150 The AU-EU summit is to be
Associated Press French and Moroccan held Nov. 29-30 in Abidjan,
RABAT, Morocco (AP) companies. Ivory Coast. It remains un-
— France’s prime minis- However, Morocco’s ambi- clear whether the Sahwari
ter launched a mission tions and stalemates crept Arab Democratic Republic
Wednesday to reinvigorate into a joint news confer- (SADR), supported by Mo-
trade and cooperation ence by Philippe and his rocco’s neighbor, Algeria,
with Morocco, which has Moroccan counterpart, will attend.“It’s an impor-
steadily positioned itself as Saadeddine El Othmani, in tant summit. Very impor-
a regional economic pow- the form of a prickly ques- tant for all of us,” the Mo-
erhouse focused on Africa tion over Western Sahara. roccan prime minister said.
instead of its former colo- Morocco considers the dis- “But we have to say that
nial ruler. puted territory its “southern the presence of this entity
French government minis- provinces,” but the Polisa- at the summit would be a
ters, state secretaries and rio Front independence support, a European sup-
a large group of business movement has declared France’s Prime Minister Edouard Philippe and his Moroccan port for separatisms.”“The
leaders accompanied it as a separate state, the counterpart Saad-Eddine El Othmani shake hands after their entire international com-
Prime Minister Edouard Sahrawi Arab Democratic ralks in Rabat, Morocco, Thursday, Nov. 16, 2017. Philippe is in munity must fight to pre-
Philippe to the Moroccan Republic.Asked whether Morocco to try to reinvigorate trade with the North African king- serve and prevent the dis-
capital for a two-day visit. the Polisario’s republic dom, as the former French protectorate increasingly positions location of nation states,”
It was Philippe’s first visit to would be represented at itself as an economic pillar of Africa. Othmani said.SADR is rec-
the North African kingdom a summit this month of the (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy) ognized by dozens of Unit-
since his appointment in African Union and the Eu- amount to support for sep- year after a lengthy ab- ed Nations member states
May. He chaired a Fran- ropean Union, Othmani aratists.Morocco rejoined sence due to differences and joined the African
co-Moroccan economic said its attendance would the African Union early this over the Polisario Front. Union in 1984. q