Maravi

Concessions are inherent in negotiations

Concessions are inherent in negotiations
By Editor
Saturday July 12, 2008 [04:00]

There is no sensible alternative to a negotiated settlement in Zimbabwe.
And all Zimbabwean politicians should take negotiations seriously. We all realise that there are many difficult questions concerning such negotiations. But it is for this same reason that negotiations should take place. Negotiations are about big, fundamental issues. Negotiations compel those involved to compromise on fundamental issues. Insignificant things, peripheral issues, don’t need any negotiations or compromise.

The pre-conditions that are being raised should be tabled as issues for negotiation and should not be made to stand in the way of a negotiated settlement.
But it’s not easy to negotiate with a person who is not independent, who is under the control and direction of another.

There is no doubt that the influence of British and United States politicians over Zimbabwean issues is very big. They seem to be the ones dictating to MDC as to what should be done.

American and British government officials were the first ones to set pre-conditions for negotiations in Zimbabwe.

Before even MDC could voice its opinion on negotiations, the British and Americans were demanding that any negotiations in Zimbabwe will have to be held on the basis of the March 29 election results. And what MDC has done is simply to echo this position.

This is making MDC really look like a puppet of the British and American governments. And it is tarnishing its image among Africans and others who hate colonialism, neo-colonialism and imperialism in general.

MDC leaders and members have got a legitimate role to play in the politics of their country. It is their right to participate in the governance of Zimbabwe.

And the Americans and British have no right whatsoever to govern Zimbabwe – even with the best remote control device. They are causing veritable chaos in Zimbabwe. They are making it very difficult for Zimbabweans to come together and find solutions to the issues that divide them.

The pre-conditions they are putting forward will not help Zimbabweans to come together and resolve their differences. We say this because even Zanu-PF could today come up with some legitimate pre-conditions. For instance, they could demand that no negotiations will take place until external interference, threats, blackmail and sanctions are stopped. This would equally not be good because it will not help move things forward.

Concessions are inherent in any serious negotiations. And when one negotiates, one must be prepared to compromise, to give and take. And it doesn’t make sense to enter into negotiations with a person you are still insulting, blackmailing, denouncing and calling all sorts of names.

When one enters into negotiations, the first thing one should do is show respect to the opponent, accept the integrity of the other person. If one is not prepared to compromise, then they shouldn’t enter into or think about the process of negotiations at all.

It seems to us that MDC and their British and American supporters are not ready for a negotiated settlement. Probably they still feel they can still by other means – sanctions, international pressure, United Nations Security Council resolutions – drive Zanu-PF out of power.

Probably they may also still want to weaken Zanu-PF much further before they can sit down to negotiate with them and this time the subject may only be the terms of surrender of power.

If they strongly believe this to be possible, then there is no need for them to enter into negotiations. We say this because the starting point for developing a framework within which to approach some large questions in the negotiating process is to answer the question: why should we negotiate or why are we negotiating?

We believe Zimbabweans should negotiate because as a result of the deepening political crisis in their country, the party in control of government – Zanu-PF – is no longer able to govern the country in the old way and should now be genuinely seeking a break with the past.

At the same time, MDC – the leading opposition party – is not dealing with a defeated Zanu-PF, and a total seizure of power from them cannot be realistically posed. Yes, they can wage, with the support of the United States and Britain, a strong international campaign to isolate and strangulate Zimbabwe, weaken Zanu-PF’s internal and external support and eventually drive them out of power.

This is possible. But it will not come cheap. It will come at a very high cost to the people of Zimbabwe and probably to their neighbours.

We believe once the balance of political forces has been altered, it’s better to cease fire, negotiate and minimise the loss of life, property and other forms of suffering that political conflicts bring to the ordinary people.

However, our experience is that where imperialists are involved, this is usually very problematic because they are not usually very open to peaceful, fair and just solutions to problems. Their arrogance always make them believe that they can annihilate everything that stands in their way and challenges their interests.

It is for this reason that MDC, despite its heavy dependence on them for finance and other logistical support, including media propaganda, should somehow distance itself from them and start to look at the conflict in Zimbabwe using their own eyes, criteria and methods.

A negotiated political settlement is still very possible in Zimbabwe and there is actually no sensible alternative to it. Negotiated solutions can be found even to conflicts that have come to seem intractable and such solutions emerge when those who have been divided reach out to find common ground.

The most important thing now for the politicians of Zimbabwe is to reach out and find common ground rather than focus so much on issues that divide them.

It doesn’t make sense for MDC to claim that negotiations at this stage would undermine the statements made by the G8 leaders and the initiatives that they are trying to push through at the United Nations Security Council to put pressure on Zanu-PF. Whatever they are trying to do at the G8 and UN can be done better at a negotiation table of Zimbabwe by Zimbabweans for Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe needs unity to tackle the many challenges its people are today facing. And imperialists have never been promoters of unity because they thrive on divisions, by divide and rule.

The unity of the people of Zimbabwe is absolutely necessary and they should use peaceful political formulas and negotiations to resolve their political differences.

Zimbabwe cannot be saved unless a path of dialogue and reconciliation is pursued. And every effort should be made towards eradicating political violence without the need for measures that will further divide the people of this country.

Zimbabweans should not turn a blind eye to peaceful resolution whenever they have differences. And they should never forget that concessions are inherent in negotiations.

Labels: COLOUR REVOLUTIONS, MDC, NEOCOLONIALISM

posted by MrK @ 4:02 AM