Western donors urged to aid Mugabe Government

South Africa's most respected politician has told the West that democracy can only succeed in Zimbabwe if Britain, the European Union and the United States reverse their restrictive aid policies against Robert Mugabe's regime.

Finance Minister Trevor Manuel demanded that Britain and other donors urgently inject cash into Zimbabwe's Treasury rather than give it exclusively to foreign humanitarian agencies.

"You have to support the Government," Manuel said.

"Zimbabwe's foreign friends are opposed to the notion that Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and his ministers are just puppets. But if you just have outside agencies running the show, then that notion is amplified. And people will say Tsvangirai is not even trusted by his friends."

Tsvangirai and several ministers from the Movement for Democratic Change were sworn in over a month ago. But faced with a bankrupt Treasury, they are struggling to raise the 35 million-a-month payroll for the country's civil servants, as well as for the politically-crucial police and Army.

Britain, which spends 45 million ($116 million) on humanitarian aid in Zimbabwe every year, maintains that the Government is too corrupt to merit direct aid. Other donors share Britain's position, and the EU and US have sanctions in place.

But Manuel, 53, said the new unity Government is running out of time.

"There is a fundamental set of issues that needs to be addressed. But they [the Government] have to be afforded the opportunity to make a difference."

Manuel claimed his call for direct aid is supported by Mugabe's staunchest critics in Africa, including Botswana's President, Ian Khama, and Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga.

Manuel's call came after Mugabe made a speech last week in which for the first time he spoke explicitly in the name of the "inclusive Government" that includes former political prisoner Tendai Biti as Finance Minister.

At the launch of an economic policy document drafted by Biti, the President said: "I, on behalf of the inclusive Government and the people of Zimbabwe, say, 'Friends of Zimbabwe, please come to our aid'." He appealed for 3.5 billion, promised to "arrest" farm invasions and called for an end to sanctions.

The US immediately rejected the call.

"We have not yet seen sufficient evidence that they are on a path to inclusive and effective governance as well as respect for human rights and the rule of law," said State Department spokesman Robert Wood.

Australia, Norway and Sweden have recently announced expanded humanitarian aid programmes to Zimbabwe, but all of them are earmarked for international agencies.

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