World News 07-09-2001 Zimbabwe To End Farm Seizures who: Foreign Secretary Jack Straw what: Secures Commonweaalth deal to end Zimbabwe land seizures where: Nigeria when: Yesterday snippet: "Commonwealth ministers have achieved a breakthrough in talks on Zimbabwe`s land reform crisis," reports The Evening Standard. "Under the proposed deal, Zimbabwe will agree to no further occupations of white-owned farms." In what The Times describes as "a stunning reversal of a campaign that has been condemned around the world," Zimbabwean Foreign Minister Stan Mudenge "signed the undertaking after a day of negotiations with six Commonwealth ministers in Abuja, the Nigerian capital." "Nine white farmers have died and dozens have been injured since the conflict began in February last year," explains The Guardian. There are have been hundreds of casualties and 1,700 white landowners have been violently evicted from their farms as part of a government-backed campaign to reclaim 95% of the land owned by whites. In return for the u-turn, Jack Straw has promised that the UK will contribute to a fund administered by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) to compensate white farmers for seized land, explains The Scotsman. "Provided we have the right framework, a certain amount of money will come from the UK and we`ll encourage others to contribute," he told the private meeting, according to The Scotsman`s source. [... more]

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