Co-Chairpersons of the Asian-African Summit,

Your Excellencies, Susilo Barnbang Yudhoyono and Thabo Mbeki,

Your Excellencies Heads of State and Government here present,

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Comrades and Friends.

I wish to begin by thanking the Co-Chairpersons and organizers of this commemorative Asian-African Summit which coincides with the Golden Jubilee of the 1955 Bandung Asia-Africa Conference. It is particularly significant that the Summit is jointly convened by a founding member country of the historic Bandung Conference, while South Africa, now in its eleventh year as a free Nation, is among the younger member states to be born out of that visionary 1955 meeting. So too are Zimbabwe and Namibia. Indeed, practically most, if not all, African states earned their independence after 1955.

It was the 1955 Conference that also set the stage for what today we know as the Non-Aligned Movement. For many years, the Movement served as a moderating voice in the Cold War raging between the East and the West, at a time when the world feared a third world war. Through its core principles of friendship, solidarity and co-operation, the Movement became a bold and alternative voice in world politics. Today, the Non-Aligned Movement’s profile should of necessity be raised, even as its mandate includes the right of actively opposing the unilateralism and hegemony that threaten our efforts to create a world of peace, stability and development.

The unilateralism that looms large over international relations today is as dangerous as the threat of war. This Summit should be concerned that the United Nations process has been rammed into submission by unilateralism. Employing sophistry and blatant lies, America and Britain went to war against Iraq, making the yet-to-be-proved claim that Iraq had stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction. A year later, we now know that the greater danger comes from America and Britain’s weapons of mass deception. We also know that far from resolving the Iraqi crisis, ordinary Iraqi civilians today bear the brunt of a well-designed strategy undertaken simply to exhibit bloated military might over an innocent small country. Using confidence tricks or what became known as “sexed-up” presentations, Iraq was portrayed as a clear and urgent danger needing annihilation. It is instructive that the aggressors, yes, the invaders, have not yet found the dreaded weapons of mass destruction and are instead engaged in other forms of demonising defenceless Iraqis, indeed, demonising various other weak communities all over the world.

Is it not worrying that this unilateralism, which has manifested itself as fascist international dictatorship, is also undermining the democratic processes in our different regions through brazen interference in our internal or domestic affairs? My country, Zimbabwe, has been the victim of naked interference in its domestic affairs through several measures including declared and undeclared sanctions, purely because we dared to challenge white privilege by embarking upon a process of equitable distribution of our land. Now, where, once upon a time, a mere 4 000 white farmers held sway over estates of our arable and productive land, our land revolution has opened up the land to many more indigenous people, finally giving them a real sense of belonging to their country. The land reform was carried out in accordance with our laws, and this, after Britain had refused to honour undertakings she made at the 1979 Lancaster House Conference. Yet, through the same weapon of mass deception, Britain and her kith and kin, have viciously portrayed Zimbabwe as lawless, disorderly and undemocratic. Obviously, the British and their allies have conveniently forgotten that until our people’s victory in the liberation struggle, no democracy had existed in our country. How soon they forget! For it was our people’s struggle which brought democracy.

Since the year 1999, the British have sponsored an opposition party whose sole mandate is to do all that pleases the. British, including travelling all over Europe, when campaigning for elections back home is in full swing. Well, our people have recently spoken again and have, through an overwhelming vote, consigned the contrived opposition to the dustbins of history. Our stand remains unshakeable; for only the people of Zimbabwe can guide their country’s destiny. The Charter of the United Nations recognizes this right of self-determination for every sovereign independent country.

The intolerance and unbridled interference in local affairs also continues to manifest itself in Palestine where we see a spirited fight against a viable Palestinian State seeking to live side by side with Israel. Even as we hope for the attainment of lasting general peace in the Middle East, what is clearly perceptible and unacceptable is the hypocrisy that has been exhibited by the big powers on the Palestinian question; kid gloves for Israel, while more rigorous benchmarks are set for Palestine and its down-trodden people. The 10 founding principles of Bandung are as relevant today as they were fifty years ago. The Summit theme of “Re-invigorating the Bandung Spirit: Working Towards anew Asian-African Strategic Partnership,” should clearly challenge us to seriously confront the threat of unilateralism by our realizing that such unilateralism constitutes as grave a threat to world peace, stability and development, as that posed by transnational crimes and terrorism. Unilateralism or the so-called unipolar world cannot be the yardstick by which international relations are conducted. We cherish the equality of nations, the sovereignty of all countries, and the inviolability of their right to self-determination.

We therefore welcome the opportunity presented by the upcoming United Nations General Assembly in September to discuss the Secretary General’s Report on United Nations reforms. It is most important that as the reforms are rolled out, the voices of Africa and Asia are effectively represented.

Today, we are here as independent and sovereign States, a clear testimony to the visionary leadership and wisdom of the great leaders who met in Bandung in 1955. The greatest tribute due to them is to be faithful to this Summit’s commitments, thus opening the way for greater co-operation and prosperity in our regions. Our New Asian-African Strategic Partnership should provide practical linkages in trade investment, human resource development, and science and technology. Further challenges include growing cases of transnational crimes, poverty and the HI V/AIDS pandemic, all of which constitute a formidable threat to the new world we would like to bequeath to our posterity.

Our collective reaffirmation of the Bandung spirit can and should spur us to translate this Summit’s decisions into practical, time-framed and specific action plans. For this, we welcome the establishment of a Business Forum for Asian and African countries.

It is my hope that the invaluable and time-honoured leadership and wisdom of the Bandung Conference and, indeed, the Non-Aligned Movement, will continue to hold the key to our quest for an egalitarian world, where nations, weak and strong, all play their part in making the world a better place.

I thank you.