THE TRIUMPH OF DIPLOMACY ZIMBABWE PETITION

AIMS AND OBJECTIVE

1) To seek and encourage active diplomatic engagement:
We the Zimbabwean people, at large, yearn and cry for the triumph of diplomacy
to resolve our economic and political crisis. This is a humanitarian issue and should be treated as such. Lives are being lost innocent children, adults, a whole cross section of vulnerable groups are suffering while political egos are on display. We can all see an avoidable tragedy being induced for political dispensation. A whole generation is being made bitter when simple honest and straightforward diplomacy would be all it takes to resolve the issues at stake without putting pre-conditions to dialogue where people can agree to disagree and still go out and share a drink while they contemplate how best to come to terms with each other. Collective punishment is a very inhuman, prejudiced, biased and unfair way of dealing with largely political differences. The problems of Zimbabwe are an open book, as are the players involved in this orchestra. Refusing to talk or putting obstacles to direct diplomatic engagement is the ultimate human failure by those with the power to engage in such dialogue. A whole people are suffering because they have been relegated to the dustbin while politicians from both divides are grandstanding instead of averting human suffering.

To involve all stake holders without un-diplomatic preconditions, including sanctions, whatever their name is!:
We urge direct engagement without pre-conditions to all diplomatic efforts to ensure the desired results of averting human suffering, promoting harmony, re-establishing reconciliation and tolerance are expeditiously pursued.

To promote the collective response to national challenges by all, through tolerance, respect and national patriotism: Let all those who are interested or have influence in the process be involved as stake holders. This means all political parties without exception, student bodies who are direct victims of this impasse, humanitarian entities including religious representatives, farmers, captains of industry, trade unions and regional leaders.

TARGET DIPLOMATS & VESTED INTERESTS

2) Western powers led by Britain for obvious bilateral reasons that are historical:
SADC leaders as neighbours whose economies, cultural ties and collective regional power are linked to Zimbabwe:
African Union, as the parent organisation responsible for African diplomacy.
Commercial farmers as beneficiaries of compensation as agreed at Lancaster House and the Zimbabwe land conference of 1998, and also the people purportedly being protected by western powers as descendents thereof.

PARTICIPANTS

3) The Zimbabwe public at large, Zimbabwe scholars, politicians, students, trade unions, captains of industry, trade unions, humanitarian entities, international community, EU, UN, NAM, AU, SADC, Britain and any other vested interests from the economic front.

EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL DIALOGUE

4) Direct engagement with all international players, from the Bretton Woods institutions, to US and British governments as leaders of the west on Zimbabwe specific issues. The EU, SADC, UN, etc. on the one hand and all political entities and religious groups in Zimbabwe including trade unions, captains of industry and farmers:

TARGETED SANCTIONS

5) These to be waived to allow for travel and direct diplomatic engagement, or modified to allow the triumph of diplomacy with a view to completely remove them as they are a barrier to diplomatic engagement.

LAND AND COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY

6) To promote dialogue on any due compensation as guided by previous commitments and the aims and objectives of the Harare Land Conference of 1998 and Lancaster House understandings before it: Land is both contentious and a source of racial division because of its imposed racial ownership during British rule. All those that lost land should then directly benefit from any funds raised per foregoing undertaking at the land conference and other bilateral agreements between Zimbabwe and Britain. Those white Zimbabweans who still wish to pursue agriculture in Zimbabwe, but had relocated be welcomed back and allowed to apply for the A2 schemes like everybody else and be given leases after normal processes. This will promote racial, harmony, peace and be a yardstick for many countries in a similar disproportionate land ownerships like Kenya, South Africa, Namibia etc. The amicable resolution of the Zimbabwean issue will have far reaching repercussions in many countries and may even help avert similar crisis in the near future.

FUTURE ELECTIONS

7) To diplomatically promote a mutually agreed election framework that will set the standard for future elections: Our election frame work has many positives and also negatives, most of these are not with the statutory instruments, but the culture of violence, lack of tolerance, lack of respect, undignified posturing by leaders, external interference, divide and rule by vested interests, also biased bureucracy etc. Zimbabweans should be allowed to follow the laws of the country and regional protocols on the conduct of elections without any neo-colonial interference by world powers. Zimbabwean leaders must be held to account to the people not external influences, who have their own economic and political agendas. The SADC protocols should be the yardstick which should be vigorously pursued and adhered to. The political influence and any perceived bias should be reduced to a bare minimum in all national institution such as the police, military, intelligence services, judiciary, prison services etc.

CONSTITUTION

8) To diplomatically agree on the framework of roadmap to a future home grown constitution that safeguards national interests and strengthens the rule of law. The Constitutional Commission Draft Constitution and the NCA crafted one can be revisited and an honest transparent revision of our constitution undertaken.