Tsvangirai hopeful on power-sharing talks

MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai said on Tuesday there had been a positive development in power-sharing talks with President Robert Mugabe, and hoped to deal with outstanding issues on Wednesday.

“As you are aware these talks have been dragging on for some time now, but I must say that there is a positive development,” he told reporters as he left the Harare hotel after hours of negotiation.

“Nothing has been concluded yet but we are hoping that tomorrow (Wednesday) we will be able to look at the outstanding issues.”

ZANU PF pours cold water over talks progress

“Our assessment is that they are simply trying to put spanners in the works, and they are not serious about reaching a workable power-sharing arrangement,” the ZANU-PF official told Reuters.

“If that is their approach, and we believe it is, there are just no prospects for any agreement. Instead of a power-sharing arrangement they are looking at deposing ZANU-PF and transferring power to the MDC through these talks.”
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MDC wants home affairs

The MDC led by Morgan Tsvangirai, is prepared to sign a 50-50 power-sharing deal with President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu-PF, provided that the opposition is given the powerful Ministry of Home Affairs, which controls the police according to the Mail & Guardian.

A senior official of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) said on Monday that Morgan Tsvangirai is ready to sign the deal if he is given real power and not just a ceremonial prime minister’s post, as Mugabe has demanded.

A senior official of the party said the MDC would sign the deal if it was given the home affairs post because it would be in charge of the police.

“We want that post so that we can arrest the war veterans and the militias that go around beating up people. If Mugabe retains that post, we are in trouble [and] the violence will continue, so we won’t sign,” the official said.

Asked whether it was not be better to sign the agreement and then try to reform the government from within, the official said: “That’s a non-starter. You people don’t know Mugabe. [Joshua] Nkomo tried it and failed.”

Mutambara MDC tries to distance itself from ZANU PF

Mutambara MDC faction has just issued again a statement stressing that it would not make any deal with ZANU PF that did not include the main MDC.

“Detailed assurances were given by the leadership of the party that no bilateral agreement had been reached with ZANU-PF and that no bilateral agreement would be entered with ZANU-PF in future,” the splinter faction said in a statement.

“The president (Arthur Mutambara) assured the caucus that any agreement would have to be a tripartite agreement which includes the MDC (Tsvangirai),” it said.

Mbek tables new deal

The MDC and ZANU PF, due to start a second day of last-ditch meetings, were given a document by South Africa’s Thabo Mbeki aimed at unlocking a power-sharing stalemate, according to The Herald on Tuesday.

The “extensive and technical” document, which looked at executive powers and the structure of an inclusive government, was given to negotiators for review, the government mouthpiece newspaper reported.

“President Mbeki has submitted a document that looks at the executive powers and their distribution, while it also looks at the structure of an all-inclusive government if the parties agree to it,” the newspaper said, citing an unnamed source.

“The negotiators would study, debate and try to find common ground before resumption of the talks.”

The document would also lay the basis of further negotiations between the Zanu-PF of President Robert Mugabe and the two Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) factions, the newspaper said.