SA facilitators leave, no progress in talks

News — By admin on February 11, 2010 1:15 pm

HARARE – South African facilitators left Harare on Wednesday, but there was no meaningful progress on the inter-party dialogue to end a power-sharing dispute threatening Zimbabwe’s coalition government, negotiators said on Thursday.

The talks to iron out issues still outstanding from implementation of a 2008 power-sharing agreement between President Robert Mugabe’s ZANU PF party and the two MDC formations 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 ordinary Zimbabweans.

No dates have been given on when the facilitators appointed by South African President Jacob Zuma – the Southern African Development Community (SADC)’s mediator in Zimbabwe – are scheduled to come back.

Elton Mangoma, deputy chief negotiator from Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC-T party confirmed the departure of the mediators but was quick to point out that not much progress was made.

“The mediators left yesterday (Wednesday) but there was no movement (in terms of progress),” Mangoma said. “I am not sure when they will come back but there was no movement.”

Although sources close to the talks said that there has been an increase on the items on the agenda, Magoma said he was “not aware of that”.

Welshman Ncube, chief negotiator of the Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara-led MDC-M party described the pace of the negotiations as slow.

“We are moving slowly, although some of us would have preferred to move at a faster pace,” Ncube said, adding; “The mediators left yesterday, there are some new proposals on the table. I am not sure when the talks will resume.”

He could also not be drawn into giving a time line when the talks would end.

“There can be no time line for national interests. National interests can not be subjected to timelines.”

ZANU PF chief negotiator, Patrick Chinamasa and his deputy, Nicholas Goche could not be reached for comment.

MDC-T secretary general Tendai Biti earlier this week said the current round of talks has to be the last one – hinting at growing frustration within the Prime Minister’s party over the seemingly endless negotiations.

While analysts are confident the unity government will not collapse, they say unending bickering among coalition partners could cripple the administration and render it ineffective.

The MDC-T accuses Mugabe of flouting the global political agreement that gave birth to the unity government 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.

Mugabe has also refused to swear in MDC-T treasurer Roy Bennett as deputy agriculture minister and to appoint members of both MDC formations as provincial governors.

On its part ZANU PF insists it has done the most to uphold the power-sharing deal and instead accuses the MDC of reneging on promises to campaign for lifting of Western sanctions on Mugabe and his top allies. – ZimOnline

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