Bush meeting on Zimbabwe finds little common ground

When last they met, President Bush and Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete were all smiles. That was in February, in Dar es Salaam. Bush was touting the success of the White House initiative fighting HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis in the developing world -- and his plan to increase funding from the $18 billion spent up to then to $30 billion for the next five years.

They met again today in Toyako, Japan, on the sidelines of the Group of Eight summit, the annual conference of the leading industrial nations. Kikwete, the leader of the African Union, was there for related meetings on Africa. But in Toyako in northern Japan, Bush was coming not with new money, but with a new complaint: He wanted to see a tougher stance against Zimbabwe, in the wake of a presidential election he has called a sham.

A sure sign that the meeting did not go as planned: Reporters had been told before the session that the two presidents were likely to respond to questions during a photo-op after the meeting. When the picture-taking came, the two men presented their statements, and departed. They ignored shouted questions.

Bush said the question of Zimbabwe "took a fair amount of time."

"It did, it did," agreed Kikwete. That appeared to be the extent of their agreement.

To be sure, neither cared for the power-grab that has kept Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe in office.

But from there, it was clear that they found no agreement on what to do about it -- and Bush's push for U.N. sanctions did not produce the support he sought.

Kikwete, speaking in diplomatic code that suggested -- in some distance from the U.S. policy -- the African Union favored a power-sharing agreement for Zimbabwe, added:

We are saying no party can govern alone in Zimbabwe, and therefore the parties have to work together to come up to -- to come out, work together, in a government, and then look at the future of their country together.

Later, White House Press Secretary Dana Perino emphasized that Bush had found some support for sanctions, and it was "not a President Bush versus the world situation."

Dan Price, a deputy White House national security advisor, put it this way: "There were differences. Not all leaders are there yet, in respect of sanctions."

As Kikwete put it: "The only area that we may differ is on the way forward."

Which, of course, is the central question.

For the transcript of the Bush-Kikwete comments, click here.

For the transcript of Dana Perino and Dan Price, click here.

--James Gerstenzang

Photo credit: Jim Watson / AFP-Getty Images

Comments

[martin stuart]

If the US is isolated against the world then shame on the world. We should not compromise that human and civil rights are the natural state of human kind and they are not granted by government.

People have a right to be self governing and we should not compromise this goal just because freedom receeded since the end of the cold war. This is our reponcibility.

[Nathan]

Shame on the world???? Did you sign on to the ICC ? Is gitmo a human rights theame park ??? What about the bush holding hands with the saudis while holding their beheading sword in the other hand .... shame on the world for turning a blind eye to the USA and her crimes.