By Tichaona Sibanda
4 January 2010

The six negotiators to the Global Political Agreement (GPA) will resume talks in a fortnight, following a month long break.

Industry and Commerce Minister Welshman Ncube, who is also the lead negotiator for the MDC-M, told SW Radio Africa on Monday that the talks, which broke off three days before Christmas last year, would resume next week Saturday.

‘We will convene on the 16th to start the latest round of talks. We should conclude the talks in a reasonable time because most of the things are done,’ Ncube said.

The negotiators have been urged to speed up the ‘painfully slow’ negotiations as they struggle to find common ground on the more contentious issues in the GPA.

The negotiations have become bogged down over arguments that include the appointments of central bank Governor Gideon Gono, Attorney-General Johannes Tomana, provincial governors and the swearing-in of Roy Bennett as Deputy Minister of Agriculture.

The reformation of the security sector is another hot potato dividing the negotiators right through the middle. Zimbabweans in general, diplomats, the international community, NGO’s and civil society organizations have all expressed frustration at the lack of progress on these key issues during the negotiating rounds dating back to September 2008.

Political analyst Clifford Mashiri told us the negotiators have talked for long enough and that the country expects action. ‘They must have a higher level of ambition to get things done. Time is not just pressing, it has almost run out, considering there is an election scheduled for next year according to Mugabe and Tsvangirai,’ Mashiri said.

‘The problem we have at the moment in these negotiations is that they are drowning in issues that are not relevant to solve the country’s problems. How can they spend a year discussing about governors, ambassadors and commissions and not tackle the Gono, Tomana and Bennett issues, things that have threatened to collapse the government,’ Mashiri said.

Before the talks broke off last month, the three parties reached consensus on some of the easier issues, arising from the GPA and the SADC communiqué of January 27 2009. These included the announcement of the new independent commissions.

A source told us the MDC-T, which is unhappy with the slow pace in implementing the GPA, wanted a deadlock to be declared over the remaining issues if negotiators fail to reach a compromise in two weeks’ time.

A deadlock would force South African President Jacob Zuma to intervene as SADC’s facilitator in the Zimbabwe crisis. In mid-December Zuma did send a three-member facilitation team early to check on progress made in the implementation of outstanding issues.

It remains to be seen if the MDC will indeed declare a deadlock or if, once again, they go along with ZANU PF’s delaying tactics.

Source: SW Radio Africa