WCC welcomes summit on Zimbabwe crisis

Quiet streets in Harare as Zimbabweans await the outcomes of the recent elections. Photo: Gary Bembridge

The World Council of Churches (WCC) has welcomed the initiative of Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa to convene a summit of Southern African heads of state to address the current crisis in Zimbabwe.

"It is the sovereign right of the people of Zimbabwe to choose their leaders, define the future of their country and insist upon a peaceful transition", wrote the WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia in a letter to President Mwanawasa today.

The "emergency summit" to which the heads of state of the 14-nation Southern African Development Community (SADC) have been invited by President Mwanawasa is a welcomed development, as it will address "the growing political crisis paralysing life and safety in Zimbabwe", affirmed Kobia.

In a separate letter to the United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki-moon, Kobia stressed the Council's "deep concern about the implications of the current political crisis which may be not only regional but also international".

The WCC, together with the All Africa Conference of Churches, sent a team to monitor the 29 March elections in Zimbabwe.  

Full text of the letter to Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa

Full text of the letter to UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon