President Thabo Mbeki said on Sunday he could not express himself as African Union president on the situation in Zimbabwe because the AU had not taken a position on that yet.

"You may well ask why it hasn't happened, but it hasn't," he said during a question and answer session at a conference of editors from Africa, held in Midrand.

Mbeki was responding to a question by John Gambanga, editor of the privately-owned Zimbabwean paper Daily News.

Gambanga said the idea of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad) was very noble, but for it and the African Union to be a success, its leaders should be seen to take decisive action, especially towards a situation like the current one in Zimbabwe.

"There is a feeling among Zimbabwean people that in your position as head of the AU you are not forceful enough in telling your brother that what is happening in Zimbabwe is not right. You have not put down your foot."

If Mbeki did this, other leaders would follow suit, Gambanga said.

The president replied: "The AU has never discussed the question of Zimbabwe."

Therefore there was no position that its chairman could take that would represent the union's position.

Mbeki said the Southern African Development Community (SADC) was dealing with the situation.

A fortnight ago a ministerial committee of SADC's central organ -- the body dealing with politics, defence and security -- met to discuss various issues pertaining to Zimbabwe, including the issue of press freedom and various pieces of legislation related to press, general and political freedoms.

The members had received copies of proposed amendments to Zimbabwean laws tabled in parliament.

"I am quite sure the region will look at the amendments to see if they address the concerns," the president said.

"I am quite sure SADC will continue its engagement with Zimbabwe to ensure the various matters are addressed."

Those included the reported beating up of people during and after the recent general strike, he said.

However, the solution of Zimbabwe's problems lay fundamentally with its people, Mbeki added.

He hoped the negotiations started between the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union (Patriotic Front) and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change -- which stopped due to the MDC's court challenge of the presidential elections -- would resume so the people of Zimbabwe could take charge of their own future.

Mbeki said it was unclear what would happen to the world and the United Nations after the war on Iraq.

"As little countries we have got to say we must have a strong multi-national system of government respected by all countries big and small. We can't take a position where powerful countries can do as they wish."

The situation should end where people from outside the continent determined what was wrong in African countries, and then dictated to them how to deal with that and how to vote in the UN, on the basis of the money they supplied to them, the president said.

Governments should assert Africa's place in the global system, he added. The implication of that was that they needed to position themselves so they at least had moral authority.

"You can't chop off people's hands and expect to be respected by the rest of the world."

It would also be good if there was a united voice emanating from the continent.

"The marginalisation must come to an end." Mbeki called on the media to familiarise themselves with what was happening in Africa so they did not report incorrectly, and would not require interpretation of events by outsiders.

Perhaps they should look at their capacity to share their information rather than to rely on foreign news agencies. Qatari television network Al Jazeera had received compliments for its ability to present the Arab world to the rest of the globe in a more sensitive way, the president said.

Maybe Africa should follow its example to portray itself to the rest of the world, he said.

"There is no reason why an African Al Jazeera can't exist." - Sapa