NGO-awarded Confucius Peace Prize sparks controversy home and abroad

ZIMBABWEAN PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe has reportedly decided not to accept this year's Confucius Peace Prize after learning that it is awarded by a Hong Kong-based non-governmental committee and has nothing to do with the Chinese government. Comments:

The Chinese government informed the Zimbabwean government it was not associated with the organization that awards the prize. The matter ended there as far as the government and Zimbabwean president were concerned. But what the government did not do, and should not, is to stop an organization from showing respect and goodwill to someone as best it knows how.

George Charamba, a spokesman for Robert Mugabe, Oct 26