PRESS URGES SADC TO PULL ZIMBABWE SUPPORT!

African papers are displaying signs of a shift in regional opinion towards President Robert Mugabe, ahead of an SADC emergency summit in Tanzania to discuss the crisis in Zimbabwe.
While some papers say Africans should stand by Mugabe, one daily directly accuses him of behaviour against his people that is worse than under colonial rule.
Others suggest that the end of his rule is approaching and that the SADC should no longer back him.

MOS KASIBANTE IN UGANDA'S INDEPENDENT DAILY MONITOR
What Africans have learned is that fellow Africans, including those who carry the label of a freedom fighter can visit atrocities on their people similar to, and in some cases worse than, those committed by the colonialists.

TANZANIA'S GOVERNMENT DAILY NEWS
Political stability and security is exactly what SADC countries need to implement... We have witnessed recently political stand-offs in Zimbabwe precipitated by the opposition's decision to go ahead with an unauthorized meeting. This is a situation which should not be allowed to get out of proportion. We want our Zimbabwean brothers and sisters to live in peace.

REASON WAFAWAROVA IN ZIMBABWE'S GOVERNMENT HERALD
Zimbabwe does not need street terrorism; it needs a battle of minds competing for the betterment of the country ... we need to share one history and one heritage just like other nations, among them settler colonies like the US.

BILAL ABDUL-AZIZ IN TANZANIA'S INDEPENDENT GUARDIAN
It should be clear to every one, especially the boastful 'Western fathers' led by the United Kingdom and her twin ally United States, that true sons of Africa, including Tanzania, stand by Mugabe's Zimbabwe.

ZIMBABWE'S THE INDEPENDENT
The heat on Mugabe is now coming from closer to home. In fact, there is a meeting of minds between Western governments and SADC states that Mugabe's time is up.
The answer from a SADC point of view lies in Mugabe leaving the political scene. The new approach hinted at by [Zambian President Levy] Mwanawasa replaces quiet diplomacy. It is a blend of megaphone diplomacy and SADC withdrawing its support for Mugabe. The leaders have now realized the folly of believing that Mugabe is amenable to reform.

RAYMOND LOUW IN SOUTH AFRICA'S INDEPENDENT BUSINESS DAY
A statement that goes beyond 'staying silent' is unlikely ... if [President Thabo] Mbeki maintains SA [SAfrica]'s view... that the current crisis in Zimbabwe could have been averted if Europe, the US and SA had adopted a common approach to the country's problems...
How long can Mugabe remain in power in the face of the condemnation of his peers in Africa, where he would be relegated to a lonely hermit with possible forays to friends in China...? Dissidents in ZANU (PF) would be given a powerful weapon to use against Mugabe and demand his departure.

BBC Monitoring selects and translates news from radio, television, press, news agencies and the internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages. It is based in Caversham, UK, and has several bureaux abroad.

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