PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe yesterday attacked Western countries for maintaining “a deafening silence” when Israel attacked Gaza, killing its citizens and causing widespread destruction on its infrastructure.
STAFF REPORTER
He also denounced the European Union, United States and their allies for imposing sanctions on his Zanu PF government over alleged human rights abuses.
Addressing the 69th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Mugabe also implored world leaders to prioritise poverty reduction in their future development agendas, but insisted that individual countries should be allowed to determine their development priorities.
“The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) helped to focus and mobilise global development efforts in order to ease progress into social sectors.
“However, despite the significant achievements of the development goals, part of the unfinished business concerns the critical issue of poverty eradication, which remains the greatest global challenge.
“This issue should therefore top the priority and over-arching objective of the development agenda for the future.”
Mugabe, who is also Southern Africa Development Community chairperson, pledged the region’s support of a post-MDGs agenda.
