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Written by GIFT PHIRI
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Friday, 05 February 2010 17:41 |
 HARARE - Talks to resolve outstanding issues resume tomorrow, with Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's MDC party declaring a ....
(Pictured: SA President Jacob Zuma)
deadlock while President Mugabe's Zanu (PF) party insist the parties must remain on the negotiating table.
The MDC says there is no need to forge ahead with talks on a power sharing deal with Zanu (PF) that were leading nowhere, but Patrick Chinamasa, the lead negotiator for Mugabe's party said he felt sure differences could be overcome.
"There is going to be a meeting on February 8 to formalise the disagreement," MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa told The Zimbabwean on Sunday.
The talks to resolve outstanding issues between Zanu (PF) and the MDC have dragged on since the former foes agreed to join hands last February in a coalition government that has been credited with stabilising the country’s economy to improve the lives of Zimbabweans.
The coalition partners more than a week ago called off negotiations, with the negotiators hinting that there was little prospect of the parties resolving anytime soon the outstanding issues holding back the unity government and threatening to render it ineffective.
Mugabe’s party insists it has played its part to uphold the 2008 power-sharing deal that gave birth to the coalition government. Zanu (PF) instead accuses its main rival MDC-T of reneging on promises to campaign for lifting of Western sanctions on Mugabe and his top allies.
Zanu (PF)’s politburo has ruled out making further concessions in the power-sharing talks until Western nations lift the travel and financial sanctions against the party’s leaders.
On its part the MDC-T – which has rejected suggestions by South African President Jacob Zuma that it shelves some of its demands – accuses Mugabe of flouting the power-sharing pact after the veteran leader refused to rescind his unilateral appointment of two of his allies to the key posts of central bank governor and attorney general.
The former opposition is also unhappy that Mugabe is refusing to swear into government its treasurer Roy Bennett, while the veteran President has also refused to appoint MDC members as provincial governors.
The MDC says there is little to be gained from endless talks and says Zuma, who is SADC’s mediator in the Zimbabwe dialogue, should step to unlock the deadlocked negotiations.
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This explains why Zanu PF are giving flimsy excuses for not fully consummating the GPA.They are likely to play hard ball, cat and mouse while they figure out how to regain legitimacy.The choice of the SADC point man on the Zimbabwean crisis is not helping things either, Zuma is not neutral enough and smart enough to withstand Mugabe's dirty tricks.
MDC is right for declaring a deadlock, but they need to do more work on regional diplomacy to make significant progress on the sticking issues and Zanu PF int...