U.S Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton says she will pushSouth Africa to do more to counter embattled President Robert Mugabe's negativeeffect on the Zimbabwe reform process.
But Mugabe supporters have dismissed hercomments as external interference, saying Zimbabweans are capable of resolvingtheir own problems.
Clinton'scomment comes a day ahead of her scheduled meeting with top South Africangovernment officials on Friday.
South African President Jacob Zuma met earlierthis week with Zimbabwe's Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai in an effort toaddress concerns that are threatening to undermine the coalition government.
Political analyst Somadoda Fikeni told VOA that Washingtondoesn't see Mugabe as playing a pivotal role in resolving the Zimbabwe crisis.
"Americahas never accepted Robert Mugabe as a partner in resolving this matter, so theygrudgingly embraced what the African Union and SADC (Southern AfricanDevelopment Community) have decided on in terms of the government of nationalunity," Fikeni said.
Hesaid Pretoria will ensure Secretary Clinton knows the steps taken to resolve theZimbabwe impasse.
"Whatwill happen is that South Africa will say we've already discussed with MorganTsvangirai and promised to intervene again to prop up the peace process, whichseemingly is ailing at the moment," he said.
Fikenisaid there are no reasons to believe that South Africa would be pushed to domore in neighboring Zimbabwe.
"They (South Africa) won'tagree thatit is because of American pressure that they are actually putting more pressureon Zimbabweans to resolve the matter," Fikeni said.
He said both Pretoria andWashington are seeking to warm up diplomatic ties from the frosty relationshipof recent years.
"Remember that this is anera where the South African new administration and American new administrationare trying to mend things after what has been a chilly relationship in the(Thabo) Mbeki administration and George Bush administration," he said.
Meanwhile, President Robert Mugabe has refused to meetthe outgoing U.S ambassador James McGee the man he once described as a"house Negro". McGee had wanted to pay a courtesy call, as is thenorm with outgoing ambassadors.
Ata recent meeting in Libya, Mugabe also verbally abused Johnnie Carson, the topU.S diplomat to Africa calling him an idiot, after describing his predecessor, JendayiFrazer as "that little girl trotting around the globe like a prostitute.
Fikeni said it will not be asurprise that President Mugabe will dismiss Secretary Clinton's remarks aheadof her scheduled meeting with officials in Pretoria.
"He will repeat what he hasalways said and what he said recently when he visited the family of his latedeputy president (Joseph Msika) that the Zimbabwe problems would be solved byZimbabweans. So I think that has become his touchline? to most of what isperceived as external interference or what he will present as externalinterference," Fikeni said.
Secretary Clinton isalso scheduled to pay a courtesy call on South Africa's former President NelsonMandela.
