Tsvangirai considers power-sharing talks

13/08/2008| IslamWeb

South African President Thabo Mbeki left Harare on Wednesday for Angola after talks on Zimbabwe's political crisis broke up to allow the main opposition leader "time to consider" specific issues.

Both the mediators and a breakaway opposition faction engaged in the power-sharing talks denied that a concrete deal which would exclude President Robert Mugabe's arch-rival, Morgan Tsvangirai, from government had been signed.

"Mbeki is going to give a report to the Southern African Development Commnunity chairman of defence and security, (Angola) President Jose Eduardo dos Santos," said Mbeki's spokesman, Mukoni Ratshitanga. "After that we are going back home."

Mbeki, the SADC's appointed mediator in the Zimbabwe crisis, has been facilitating power-sharing talks between the leader of the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), Morgan Tsavangirai, the MDC breakaway faction chief, Arthur Mutambara, and President Robert Mugabe.

"The talks are adjourned not ended, but I wouldn't say until when. Tsvangirai needs more time to consult on specific matter(s)," Mbeki's spokesman told AFP.

Asked whether signatures had been put to a deal, Mbeki said, "I wouldn't know about it. We are facilitating discussions among three parties."

South Africa's Business Day newspaper reported that after four hours of talks on Tuesday, Tsvangirai stormed out of the meeting. The paper cited a senior ZANU-PF official as saying Tsvangirai had told his rivals: "I do not understand the language you are speaking."

But after three days spent mediating power-sharing negotiations to end Zimbabwe's political crisis, Mbeki said he remained "confident" that all three parties in the talks would find a resolution.

"We have dealt with all the elements on which President Mugabe and Mutambara agree, but there is disagreement on one element over which Morgan Tsvangirai had asked for time to reflect," said Mbeki.

"We have adjourned to give Morgan Tsvangirai more time to consider these matters."

"I'm quite confident they will resolve all their outstanding matters which would result in this inclusive government, and in the second instance then acting together," Mbeki told reporters.

Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said any agreement on a new government in Zimbabwe that excluded Tsvangirai would not be taken seriously by the international community.

"Any so-called government of national unity which did not involve Tsvangirai would effectively be a farce," Smith told Sky News.

Welshman Ncube, secretary general for Mutambara's faction, emphasised that "no deal has been signed by anyone. Dialogue is still continuing."

Tsvangirai finished ahead of Mugabe in the March first round of the presidential election but boycotted the run-off in June, saying dozens of his supporters had been killed and thousands injured.

Power-sharing talks began after the rivals signed a deal on July 21 laying the framework for negotiations, leading to more than two weeks of discussions in South Africa between representatives of the three sides.

Mbeki arrived in Zimbabwe over the weekend after both his government and Mugabe indicated progress in the talks, though the MDC had said little publicly about the negotiations in recent days.

Mbeki is expected to brief regional leaders on the state of the Zimbabwe talks at the SADC summit this weekend in Johannesburg.

Zimbabwe's crisis intensified after Mugabe's re-election in the June 27 presidential run-off, which was widely condemned as a sham.

On Tuesday, Human Rights Watch called on southern African leaders to put pressure on Mugabe to end political violence in order to resolve the country's crisis.

Tsvangirai believes his first-round total gives him the right to the lion's share of power. The ruling ZANU-PF party has insisted Mugabe must be recognised as president in any deal, as he won the June vote.

Negotiations have reportedly included proposals for Mugabe, who has ruled since independence from Britain in 1980, to take on a more ceremonial role in exchange for amnesty from prosecution, with Tsvangirai being made executive prime minister.

 

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AFP