Zimbabwe: Hope Rekindled As Leaders Talk
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Zimbabwe Standard (Harare)
4 October 2008
Posted to the web 5 October 2008
Vusumuzi Sifile & Davison Maruziva
Harare
FINAL agreement on the allocation of ministries in an all-inclusive government could be reached as early as today (Sunday), The Standard can report.
The leaders of three political parties to an agreement brokered last month by former South African president, Thabo Mbeki, met yesterday to resolve differences over who should be in charge of which government ministries.
President Robert Mugabe met MDC leaders Morgan Tsvangirai and Professor Arthur Mutambara yesterday morning at State House in Harare and spent two hours trying to overcome the hurdle that has stalled announcement of a Cabinet. It appears the obstacles are over who should get the ministries of Home Affairs and Finance.
The Standard understands that stalling over surrendering the two key ministries to Tsvangirai's formation was founded on "baseless fears", attributed to hawks within Zanu PF. In an unwritten clause of the 1987 Unity Accord, Zanu PF and PF Zapu agreed that the Home Affairs should go to a member of the former PF Zapu.
Tsvangirai and Mutambara, it is understood, first met at Tsvangirai's Strathaven residence in Harare before the meeting with Mugabe yesterday. And after State House the two leaders went back to Strathaven to compare notes.
"There is determination on the part of the three leaders to bring closure and finality," a source close to the leaders said yesterday. "If there is goodwill we will see agreement. Morgan wants to see the agreement working."
This view was shared by Western diplomats, who told The Standard last week they believed Tsvangirai was "very disappointed" by the delay in agreeing on government ministries.
"Morgan wants this agreement to work because the people are suffering. He wants something positive for the people of Zimbabwe."
It is precisely because of Tsvangirai's ability to connect with Western governments and international financial institutions that it is being argued he should get the Ministry of Finance, expected to be critical in unlocking international aid inflows to Zimbabwe.
The sources close to the three leaders told The Standard that it was expected the technical teams would be meeting the rest of yesterday in order to clear the remaining obstacles, ahead of another meeting of the leaders today.
Asked what the technical teams were expected to focus on, the source said they were expected to look at the "policy documents", without expanding.
If as planned, they overcome the remaining obstacles on the two ministries, President Mugabe can be expected to announce who has got what ministries. The three parties can then go ahead and appoint their people to head the ministries allocated to them. Soon after that Constitutional Amendment 19 would then be passed by Parliament, giving legal effect to the agreement.
Although the three leaders signed a power-sharing agreement on September 15, haggling over who should control the strategic government ministries of finance, local government, home affairs, foreign affairs and lands had threatened relevance of the deal.
Although Mugabe declared on Monday, on his arrival from the United Nations General Assembly, that an all-inclusive government would be formed by yesterday, clashes over which party would take charge of the key ministries had led to calls for Tsvangirai to pull out of the talks because it was beginning to appear there was nothing in the deal for him.
The US Ambassador to Zimbabwe, James McGee told The Standard on Friday that the international community is going to take a "very careful look" at any government in Zimbabwe before there is any re-engagement, particularly in the area of development assistance.
"That is not only us, but all the donor nations. The delay in forming a government is making Zimbabweans pay dearly," he said. "The people of Zimbabwe are suffering and if you do not have an agreement (on sharing government ministries) the people will continue to suffer."
Relevant Links
Under the South African-brokered deal, Mugabe will remain as head of state after nearly three decades in power while Tsvangirai is to take up a new post of Prime Minister and Mutambara, Deputy Prime Minister.
Read comments. Write your own.
Hello! Don't be so fast People.You mean to tell me that after Brit/U.S.for 80 years wrecked,scraped,stole,raped, divided,called the Zim.,people property,Mugabe had to fight them for,(How Many Years?)and you can see why Tsv.,needs to have to kiss the Devil ass for another 80 years with my way or no way,Slogans.Mr.Author please get on one of the Devil's Quartet,Chaney,Bush,Blair or Brown's Atomic Jet and fly in here and help bail us out of our depression $700 plus Billions.$600 billion plus undeclared war.Oh!don't forget the SURGE.Oweij Liebo- Tarboro,North Carolina Jesus Bless Africa and America.U.S.A.
Livboon. You are a loser. I think you could probably feed half of africa with that chip that resides firmly on your shoulder. Why do you support a man that has beaten and raped his own people to keep power? Who has destroyed the productivity of the countries farms and hence destroyed the country? You go on about the british, Mugabe has been in control now for nearly 30 years. You are living way way way in the past. wake up, its 2008, not 1980.
Ba Boone , you are already under surveilance for your foul ways , believe me ! Nobody wrecked Zimbabwe but Mugabe and his scum. You are undoubtedly the most ignorant commenter on this esteemed page. If it was wrecked , stolen from or raped , why did President Julius Nyerere tell Mugabe he was inheriting the jewel of Africa ? Maybe Mr. Nyerere was wrong according to you and your ignorance. Mugabe was never involved in any fighting , he used poor Zimbabweans to do his dirty work and even President Samora Machel hated Mugabe… [Read Full Text]
Leviboone, better understand how democracies work and also read up more on history! The current bail-outs show that both the US & EU governments have their focus firmly where it should be: Democratic governments must first look after their own people or lose power to those that will. Bob has clearly shown over and over again that he does not respect this basic tenant of democracy, if he had Zimbabwe would be a vastly different and better off country today, and no less sovereign. The US were not involved in the set-up, settlement and administration of Zimbabwe in the colonial… [Read Full Text]
Levi, stop whatever you are smoking.
psychopath Levi is smoking Mugabe's scrap!
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How can everyone be so naive as to believe Mugabe is sincere when he declared an X does not mean anything to him, and carried his threat through, was fuming about the British just a day before the so-called deal; his body language was so loud during the signing ceremony and his speech caped it all? Who facilitated his return from New York - which airlines agreed to bring back this murderer so that he can finish off what remains of the population? We were ululating while he changed street names, hospital names and school names - note he did… [Read Full Text]