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| Africa Subsaharan |
| SADC set to throw in towel on Zim |
| 2009-01-21 |
| SADC threatened to drop its mediation effort on Zimbabwe as another attempt to form a unity government in the country failed late yesterday. Prime minister-elect Morgan Tsvangirai described the failure as "the darkest day of our lives". South Africa's President Kgalema Motlanthe and former president Thabo Mbeki and Mozambican President Armando Guebuza representing the Southern African Development Community (SADC) failed to persuade the MDC leader, Tsvangirai, and President Robert Mugabe to overcome their differences in another marathon session in Harare yesterday. They differed mainly over who gets key positions such as the home affairs ministry which controls the police. SADC executive secretary Tomaz Salamao emerged from yesterday's talks and told reporters: "The meeting was not conclusive." He said SADC would call another regional summit in either Botswana or South Africa on January 26 to try to secure an agreement. Salamao also made it clear in conversations that if Tsvangirai and Mugabe cannot come to an agreement by then, SADC would drop its mediation effort on Zimbabwe. As he told diplomats, there were many other "pressing" problems in the SADC region. The differences between Mugabe and Tsvangirai have prevented them implementing a political agreement they signed four months ago to form an inclusive government in which Mugabe would remain president and Tsvangirai become prime minister. Motlanthe convened yesterday's talks as SADC chairman, Mbeki is SADC's mediator on Zimbabwe. Guebuza represented SADC's security arm. Several previous rounds of talks, facilitated by SADC to overcome differences on the division of ministries and other issues, have also deadlocked. Well-placed sources said that after heavy pressure was put on Mugabe by Guebuza and Arthur Mutambara, leader of the smaller MDC faction, he finally agreed to give up some provincial Zanu PF governors he had already appointed in provinces won by Tsvangirai's MDC in the March 29 elections. He also agreed to reconsider some senior civil service appointments he made without consultation with the MDC since the political agreement for a unity government was signed in September. SADC mediators believed that Tsvangirai had also agreed to make some concessions, but was dissuaded by his powerful secretary-general Tendai Biti and prominent Harare lawyer Innocent Chagonda. Some MDC sources believe Tsvangirai himself believes he should take the MDC into a transitional unity government as a first step towards fresh elections under a new constitution in 18 months. Several MPs loyal to Tsvangirai said they were disappointed at the failure of the talks. One said he believed that if the next summit failed and SADC walked away from mediating the Zimbabwe crisis, Mugabe would be able to go ahead with new elections without regional censure, and would win as there would be no international supervision and no constitutional amendment 19 to form independent commissions to control elections, human rights and the media. Constitutional amendment 19 also creates the new post of prime minister for Tsvangirai in the unity government. It was due to come before parliament today but will now presumably be delayed. Tsvangirai's MDC has a one-seat parliamentary majority over Zanu PF which has most senate seats, with Mutambara's MDC holding the balance of power of 10 parliamentary seats. Although Mutambara has said both MDCs should enter the unity government as it is the only chance to resolve Zimbabwe's crisis, he said before negotiations began yesterday that he was backing Tsvangirai and called for Mugabe to make "compromises". "I am sure the whole nation is waiting anxiously for the resolution of this crisis. We are committed to this deal but subject to Zanu PF conceding on these issues," Tsvangirai told reporters before he left the five-star hotel in Harare where the talks were held. He had presented regional mediators and Mugabe with his bottom lines which included the re-allocation of some ministries and the release of about 30 opposition supporters who have been detained on suspicion of sabotage or plotting with Botswana to topple Mugabe by force. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 Good as gone. |
| Posted by: newc 2009-01-21 03:17 |