2m 39s: longueur
386Nombre de vues
1Évaluation

English/Nat XFA South African President Thabo Mbeki on Friday urged Zimbabweans to find a peaceful resolution to the land reform conflict, which has killed at least 17 people in past weeks. In a speech, he said redistributed land should be used productively, for the good of the people. Mbeki was visiting Zimbabwe, where he was met by President Robert Mugabe, although the two held no one-on-one talks. South African President Thabo Mbeki was given full honours treatment on his arrival in the Zimbabwean town of Bulawayo, 440 kilometers (270 miles) southeast of Harare. He was greeted by Zimbabwe's president, Robert Mugabe. Mugabe held onto Mbeki's hand as they walked past cheering crowds at the small airport. The two leaders then went to visit the annual Zimbabwe Trade Fair. The fair, once the stellar trade show in the region, was quieter than usual and many stands were vacant. Organisers said many exhibitors cancelled at the last minute. Zimbabwe's economy is suffering and the spreading violence there is making things worse. Armed black squatters began occupying white-owned farms across Zimbabwe in February, demanding that the land be given up and redistributed to landless blacks. About four-thousand whites own one-third of Zimbabwe's productive agricultural land. Opposition groups accuse President Robert Mugabe of organising the often-violent occupations to gain support for his party and to intimidate the farmers and other opposition supporters in advance of parliamentary elections that must be held by August. In a speech at the fair, Mbeki appealed for an end to the violence. SOUNDBITE: (English) "Accordingly we trust that ways and means will be found to end the conflict that has erupted in some areas of Zimbabwe, occasioned by the still unresolved land question in this country. Peace, stability, democracy and social progress in Zimbabwe are as important for yourselves as they are for the rest of our region." SUPER CAPTION: Thabo Mbeki, South African President He said redistribution of land carries with it the obligation that the land is used to provide a better life for all. SOUNDBITE: (English) "Clearly the resulted land redistribution also imposes an obligation to ensure that such land is used productively, to help provide a better life for the people." SUPER CAPTION: Thabo Mbeki, South African President Many of the 90-thousand landless blacks who have been resettled on formerly white land since Zimbabwe gained independence from Britain 20 years ago have complained that they are barely able to make a living. Many have reverted to subsistence farming or abandoned the land altogether. The government has made little investment in infrastructure on their farms, and since the farmers do not hold title to the land, they are unable to secure the bank loans needed to buy fertiliser, pesticides and agricultural tools. Mbeki said the colonial legacy of unfair land distribution is also an important issue in South Africa, where people share Zimbabwe's dreams of successful land reform. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/2ca5eaa1c1a9ee2b321a39bd9c64f0dd Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork