Zimbabwe and Zambia have signed a common road transport agreement which should end the rows that have seen the closure of the Zambian border. The two countries now recognise each other's regulations and permits and have established an arbitration board to iron out disputes.
Says Arthur Sandwith of Zimbabwe's Transport Operators Association: This is a welcome step. Instead of the two sides bristling at each other, they can now sort out their differences sensibly. Last year Zambia closed its border to commercial traffic from Zimbabwe after one of its trucking companies was barred from going in transit through Zimbabwe to South Africa. Zimbabwe claimed the company was breaching a protocol barring the carriage of third country cargo.
By martin Rushmere
