Yesterday I tried not to ask the usual "how are you" to people I met, the answer usually was "bad". Everyone here was waiting for the guys in Sharm to come up with their statement and they were fearing for the worst. When I finally got it last night I needed a drink: they wanted a Government of National Unity! Have they not heard of the last Unity Government in Zimbabwe in the eighties? The other party (Joshua Nkomo's ZAPU) had been bashed into it, co-opted and finally corrupted. Looks very much similar to what is happening now - is that the solution for Zimbabwe? I don't think so.

Today with some distance the heavy discussions at the AU meeting are actually a sign of the changing times in Africa. The discussion lasted for three hours, there was no formal recognition of Mugabe's claim for victory and various countries including Senegal, Nigeria, Botswana and Sierra Leone were heavily criticizing the election outcomes and Mugabe's stance. It was also a battle between the new African leaders and the old guard who wanted Mugabe recognized. So maybe it is a small step forward after all. I'm drinking tea today.