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Zimbabwe: Tsvangirai Pulls Out of Signing Talks Agreement
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Business Day (Johannesburg)
17 July 2008
Posted to the web 17 July 2008
Dumisani Muleya
Johannesburg
AT THE last minute, President Thabo Mbeki yesterday cancelled a critical visit to Zimbabwe to witness the signing of an inter-party agreement to pave the way for substantive talks on power-sharing after the opposition backed out of endorsing the draft.
This was a major setback to Mbeki's efforts to find a breakthrough in the talks between President Robert Mugabe's Zanu (PF) and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) factions led by Morgan Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara.
The collapse of the planned signing came 10 days after Mbeki's bid to secure the first meeting between Mugabe and his bitter rival, Tsvangirai, flopped at the 11th hour.
Tsvangirai boycotted that meeting, urging the African Union (AU) to appoint a permanent envoy to beef up Mbeki's mediation efforts. Tsvangirai said political violence in the country had to stop.
The AU recently resolved that Zimbabwe should form a government of national unity to end its political impasse. Mbeki is expected to meet AU Commission chairman Jean Ping tomorrow for talks on the Zimbabwe crisis and then fly to Harare at the weekend.
Tsvangirai threw a spanner in the works for Mbeki for the second time in two weeks after he refused to sign a memorandum of understanding agreed to between the parties on Monday.
This will make Mbeki's meeting with Ping highly charged because Tsvangirai says Ping, the AU's most senior permanent diplomat, told him not to co-operate until a permanent AU envoy was appointed. The claim was rejected by Zanu (PF) mediators yesterday, who said the MDC leader was "spinning a yarn".
They said they had verified with the AU that Ping never said that. Deputy Foreign Minister Aziz Pahad said the Ping saga was a "fake issue".
The MDC and western countries say Mbeki is ineffective, even biased, and should be replaced or assisted , but Pretoria rejects this.
Mugabe yesterday continued to lambaste Britain and other western countries he says are plotting to overthrow him. His latest tirade was at the start of the televised opening of what was described as a food subsidy programme. Mugabe, however, for the first time did not attack the MDC, which he alleges is a western puppet.
Frantic meetings were under way yesterday to put pressure on Tsvangirai to sign, but he held out, demanding his conditions be met first , forcing Mbeki to remain on standby.
Tsvangirai insists the AU assign a permanent emissary on Zimbabwe to bolster Mbeki's mediation. He also wants Mugabe to first stop repression and political violence, release detained MDC officials and supporters, and let humanitarian aid resume.
Tsvangirai's MDC group is represented at the talks by Tendai Biti and Elton Mangoma, while Mutambara's camp is led by Welshman Ncube and Priscillah Misihairabwi-Mushonga. Zanu (PF)'s negotiators are Patrick Chinamasa and Nicholas Goche.
Mbeki was expected to come with his facilitation team, comprising Local Government Minister Sydney Mufamadi, director-general in the Presidency Frank Chikane, and presidential legal adviser Mujanku Gumbi.
Zimbabwe Reserve Bank Governor Gideon Gono said yesterday inflation had reached 2,2-million percent, although independent economists say it is now well above 7-million percent.
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The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions yesterday condemned Mugabe's re-election and urged the AU to appoint a high-profile envoy to help Mbeki with the talks.
Why does Mugabe want to negotiate with the MDC anyway? As far as he is concerned the MDC is but a puppet of the west. He also believes that his overwhelming majority in the run off (sham) election gives him the mandate to rule as he pleases. So why does he care what the MDC thinks? Why does he even want to be associated with a perceived puppet of the west that only wants to recolonise Zimbabwe and take its resources?(as he sees it). You dont see other policital parties around the world winning, then negotiating with the party they... [Read Full Text]
TSVANGIRAI STAND YOUR GROUND AND DON'T SHAKE OR MOVE WHEN THEY BULLY YOU FROM DIFFERENT CORNERS. THEY ARE TRYING TO BREAK THE BACK OF DEMOCRACY TO BECOME LAWLESS TUGS/DICTATORS AND BRUTS.
YOU MUST HAVE A HIGHLEVEL AU ENVOY ON YOUR NEGOTIATION TEAM COZ MBEKI WILL RAILROAD YOU TO HELL SINCE HE WANTS MUGABE TO STAY IN POWER AND DO WHAT IS GOOD IN HIS EGOTISTICAL INTEREST AND NOT IN THE INTEREST OF THE ZIMBABWEN PEOPLE. DONT SIGN NO CRAPPY INTER-PARTY AGREEMENT BECAUSE YOU WILL BE SIGNING AWAY DEMOCRACY FOR THE AFRICAN CONTINENT AND THIS WILL MEAN DEATH FOR OUR PEOPLE... [Read Full Text]
Mugabe is an idiot,thug & murderer. He does not represent the people of Zimbabwe, his party is bankrupt of ideas, has nothing to offer to the people of zimbabwe and only wants to use MDC to legitimise is illegal (sham) presidence. Therefore MDC must be very careful not to fall prey to Mbeki and Mugabe's trap. I strongly believe MDC's demands for violence to stop, political prisoner released, resumption of relief aid and etc, are very minimal demands and if Mbeki and Mugabe can't meet those, why negotiate.
Why is Mbeki desperately refusing a second AU envoy to Zimbabwe? Why... [Read Full Text]
One month after Mugabe is sworn in. Tsvangirai is still boycotting every national agenda and it is foolish to call him a hero. What has he archived? Mugabe is ruling and all negative imagination about Mugabe failing to rule has been there for a decade now. It is clear that Tsvangirai’s power of attention is in rebelling. Least can we call a rebellious character progressive.
surely by negotiating without effective mediation would not really be classed as 'negotiation' would it. I think Mugabe and Mbeki would quite happily tell the MDC to push off if it wasnt for international pressure. Mbeki is clearly not impartial, and everyone knows it. Just like everyone knows that Mugabe does not have the will of the people behind him.
Awt.ind, Mugabe has 43% of the electorate on first election run and a huge parliamentary representation. The inclusion of foreigners does not make negotiations effective but the negotiated subject matter. It is true that Mugabe does not need MDC in his gvt neither the MDC need Mugabe but the electoral dictates and world bodies advised for a negotiated settlement. Impartiality is not what is required here but facts and ideals, ZANU and MDC have to agree on facts and they are not in a Mbeki classroom who calls the shorts. Mbeki is conveyor but has no power to dictate to... [Read Full Text]
Onesoul, unfortunately progressive ideas have not been forthcoming from ZANU PF over the Independence years so far, and this has been one of the major problems that has never been overcome, and will never be overcome until Mugabe and ZANU PF stop looking at the past and blaming every one of their failures on what they claim is the enemy.
All parties involved need to be prepared to take responsibility for their actions, and for this sort of accord to work, impartiality is going to be a key factor. Mugabe has blamed every ZANU PF policy failure and consequence on... [Read Full Text]
onesoul...Care to tell us how much of the vote morgan had before mugabe refused to concede defeat??? I think you will find it was/is more than the 43% you boast mugabe now has...and that was in a one horse race..one would have thought he would poll 100%! They lost the rigging machine perhaps???
Onesoulzim, I must take it that you have lost touch with events in Zim. The delay in announcing the March results makes them suspect. So as we may agree to the 43% for Bob surely 47% is more than Mugabe's. If we agree that the June run off was not supported by the electrolate freely and willingly then ZANU and MDC should negotiate from the March election results position. No out right winner and also no President. They need each other period. Mbeki would not want Mugabe to go NOW since he Mbeki has no protecter in the SADC now... [Read Full Text]
onesoulzim1.It is actually Morgan that has the more parliamentary representation not mugabe! mugabe and regime are trying to change this by killing or arresting MDC parliamentary representatives. Presidential, Morgan got more than mugabe in the election.So on both the MDC won the peoples voice.In no way shape or for was the run off the peoples choice.If i stuck a gun in you mouth i am sure you would say what ever i wanted you to say, this is exactly what mugabe and regime did.
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