Implications :

• It is a laudable initiative and needs to be taken seriously. The president should also live by its principles.
  Elements of the MARP :
  (a) Countries that have democratic governments and promote good governance will be allowed to become members.
  (b) The programme will mean that Africa will set it self standards to which she wants to adhere and will use peer pressure to strengthen the programme.
  (c) Africa is intent on using markets, rather than state socialism to achieve these goals.
  (d) Africa expects the major industrial countries to assist the MARP members, financially and techinically.
  (e) The major economic powers should also give the third world and MARP members a better deal in world trade and better access to industrial country markets.

• The MARP was well received by the G-8 countries late last year and is driven by presidents of SA, Nigeria and Senegal. It needs to be spelt out in much greater specifics, before there can be any start with implementation.
• The MARP is an imaginative idea, mainly of Mbeki and deserves not only acclamation, but also wide support. It is however, important for president Mbeki to walk the talk. He should adhere to his own standards.He clearly did not do so in his policy towards Zimbabwe. He may not have publicy endorsed Mugabe in public, but he did not criticise him in public either. His embraces of Mugabe at meetings gave the impression of a warm personal relationship and by implication at least an indifference with respect to Mugabe's flouting of the basic principles of the rule of law and maintaining law and order.
• Mbeki runs the risk of becoming a significant player on the world stage, but not having a solid support base at home.