Mori
----- Original Message -----
From: Mori Kebba Jammeh <[log in to unmask]>
To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
<[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, June 06, 2000 12:08 PM
Subject: Zimbabwe election Monitor resigns over diamond links


> Culled from BBC African Service
>
>
>
> The monitors should ensure fair elections
>
> A senior Commonwealth official who was withdrawn from Zimbabwe last week
as
> an election observer has resigned amid allegations that he had close
> business links with President Robert Mugabe's government.
> A Commonwealth spokesman said Dr Moses Anafu resigned because of his links
> with the Oryx diamond company.
>
> Dr Anafu has admitted receiving payments from Oryx which has concessions
to
> sell diamonds from areas of the Democratic Republic of Congo controlled by
> Zimbabwean forces fighting there.
>
> But he denies having business links with Mr Mugabe's government.
>
> He said he was stepping down to avoid compromising the role of the
> Commonwealth in the forthcoming elections in Zimbabwe scheduled for 24-25
> June.
>
> 'Inappropriate' role
>
> Earlier, Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon said Dr Anafu had
> assured him that he had not yet been appointed a non-executive director
and
> had received no remuneration from the company.
>
> "Given Dr Anafu's confirmation of his involvement with these companies it
is
> inappropriate that he continue to be involved with the Commonwealth
observer
> mission in Harare," said Mr McKinnon in a statement.
>
> His business links were first reported in the London Times newspaper on
> Saturday, which said Dr Anafu was a non-executive director of the company.
>
>
>
>
> Don McKinnon: Embarrassed by assurances
>
>
> According to the Financial Times of London, Dr Anafu, would be allocated
> 10,000 shares when the company got listed and a 100,000 share option at
the
> price of one dollar which he could cash in before March 2003.
>
> The Oryx diamond mining concession is worth an estimated $1bn (£667m). It
> has a profit sharing agreement with Osleg, a company owned by the
Zimbabwean
> Government and Comiex, a company owned by the Congolese government.
>
> Election fears
>
> Meanwhile, fears remain that the parliamentary elections in three weeks
time
> will not be free and fair, despite the presence of election observers from
> the Commonwealth, European Union, Southern African Development Community
and
> United Nations.
>
>
>
>
> President Mugabe has links with the diamond mines in DR Congo
>
>
> Nine Kenyans arrived in Harare on Tuesday to join the EU election
> observation team.
>
> The World Council of Churches have also announced plans to send a team of
> observers.
>
> Recent reports suggest intimidation of opposition party supporters has
> worsened with ruling party supporters attacking teachers and health
workers.
>
> About 250 schools are said to have closed because of pre-election
violence.
>
> More than 5,000 cases of political violence have been reported since
> February, and at least 30 people, mainly opposition supporters, have been
> killed.
>
> President Mugabe is also reported to have criticised white judges in
> Zimbabwe as a "foreign cancer".
>
> The courts have angered Zimbabwe's Government in recent weeks by twice
> ruling that the invasion of white farms backed by Mr Mugabe is illegal.
>
>
> Mori
>
>

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