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| Africa Subsaharan |
| Mugabe calls split in coalition a non-event |
| 2009-10-26 |
| [Mail and Globe] President Robert Mugabe is describing the split in Zimbabwe's governing coalition as a "non-event", and says his party will not bow to pressure. Mugabe's comments to state television on Friday are his first since Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai said last week that he was temporarily withdrawing from the coalition. The former opposition leader has complained about a lack of cooperation by Mugabe and his party. Mugabe suggested that Tsvangirai's party was being led by emotions and wanted "complete executive authority". That cannot be allowed, he told state TV on his return from a summit of African leaders in Uganda. The 84-year-old leader has ruled Zimbabwe since independence from Britain in 1980. Meanwhile, Tsvangirai on Friday urged Angola's president to use his influence in the region to rescue Harare's unity government. "What I said to him was, they have to ensure that this baby is nursed until it has grown, and that this agreement is protected because it's also the credibility of SADC which is at stake," said Tsvangirai after meeting with President Jose Eduardo Dos Santos in Luanda. The Southern African Development Community (SADC) is chaired by Mozambique's Armando Guebuza. Tsvangirai's visit to Angola follows a series of meetings with other Southern African leaders, from whom he is seeking support after cutting ties with the power sharing government. "President Dos Santos is one of the senior leaders in the region, he together with others was instrumental in crafting this political dispensation," said Tsvangirai. |
| Posted by:Fred |