By KUNA,
London : British Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Monday hoped that African leaders meeting Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe “will make it absolutely clear that there has got to be change” in his country.
“I think the message that is coming from the whole world is that the so-called elections will not be recognized,” Brown told reporters here.
“People want the violence and intimidation to end,” he said, adding “a new government has got to be brought in.” The Prime Minister said that when that happened, the UK would be ready to help the country to rebuild.
Mugabe is at the African Union summit, which opened in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, in Egypt, today.
African leaders are expected to use the two-day meeting to discuss the political crisis in Zimbabwe.
Mugabe was declared the landslide winner of an internationally-condemned poll, marred by violent intimidation, in which he was the sole candidate.
He was sworn in for a sixth term last night.
Brown also said yesterday “I think what we are now looking for is that combination of African countries in the African Union, working I hope with the United Nations, sending envoys to Zimbabwe to see what progress can be made, to see what the way forward is.” “And let me also say that we and a group of countries are working together and prepared to contribute substantially financially to the reconstruction of Zimbabwe.” “Countries round the world will do so as long as it is restored as a democracy,” the Prime Minister said.