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Mugabe, Tsvangirai sign MoU

Mugabe, Tsvangirai sign MoU
By Chibaula Silwamba
Tuesday July 22, 2008 [04:00]

ZIMBABWEAN President Robert Mugabe and opposition MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai yesterday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), agreeing on the agenda for negotiations to end the political crisis in that country. During the signing ceremony at Harare's Rainbow Towers, Southern African Development Community (SADC) appointed mediator, South African President Thabo Mbeki said the signing of the MoU was a very important step in the process of negotiations. He said the negotiations should be concluded as quickly as possible.

"Let me say thank you and congratulations to our leaders sitting here for taking a very important step in this process of negations to make a Zimbabwe we want," said President Mbeki.
President Mugabe described the signing of the MoU as a serious matter to which all signatories should be sincere.

"We sit here in order for us to chart a new way, a new way of political interaction. I want to thank President Mbeki for having been here today and yesterday, even against the background of vilification and bitter criticism that he was doing nothing and yet yesterday as he was here, a number of achievements were listed in regards to interaction between our parties," said President Mugabe after signing the document. "As we embark on the programme of negotiation the way forward politically we shall be discussing the political issues that need to be discussed. We will also discuss the economy, land issues, information and possibly security matters, law and order, that we shall be doing this as Zimbabweans with the help of South Africa."

He urged the stakeholders in the negotiations to cut off the influences from Europe and America so that they could negotiate as Zimbabweans.

"We must act, if we haven't done that before, as Zimbabweans, sit as Zimbabweans and act as Zimbabweans, do it ourselves, be masters of our own destiny," President Mugabe said. "If we do that there will be no need for us to call on Europe to punish us, no need therefore for any European hand here, we don't want it. Africa yes, we are part of it hence we are members of SADC, COMESA, AU."
President Mugabe said there was need for all stakeholders to negotiate with sincerity and move the country forward.

"Let us move forward and start what Professor Arthur Mutambara has been calling one vision for one country with one national anthem and fly one flag and sing one national anthem," said President Mugabe.

And Tsvangirai, who said he had not met President Mugabe eye-to-eye for about 10 years, described the signing of the MoU as a historic moment.

"As you can imagine this is a very historic occasion, the last time I had a tete-a-tete with Comrade Mugabe was in 1998. So you can all imagine what occasion it is for the leader of the ruling party and the leader of a winning party to be sitting to discuss," said Tsvangirai, who apparently recognized President Mugabe as Zanu- PF president and not Republican President.

"We all commit ourselves towards finding a solution to the country that is in a crisis. We are committed to ensure that the process of negotiations becomes successful. We have to make sure that every Zimbabwean feels safe. We want to share a common prosperity for everyone. We want a better Zimbabwe, the only Zimbabwe that is going to be achieved if all of us work for that common good."
He said there was no one who could claim that he had the monopoly of the sovereign will of the people.

"I sincerely acknowledge that if we all put our heads together, I am sure we can find a solution. In fact, not finding a solution is not an option I am sure that we all have to do our best I can assure you that from my party that we will do everything to achieve the intended objectives," assured Tsvangirai.

Meanwhile, Prof Mutambara said the leaders of the political parties had shown maturity to ensure that the people of Zimbabwe could have a new beginning.

Prof Mutambara urged all the negotiators to put the interest of Zimbabwe before personal interest.

Earlier, Tsvangirai refused to append his signature to the MoU that was drawn in Pretoria to set ground for substantive talks between ZANU-PF and MDC, insisting that the one man mediation by President Mbeki should be reinforced by AU and UN mediators.

And on Friday, a group of eminent SADC, AU, and UN negotiators was created to back up President Mbeki's mediation efforts.

Labels: MORGAN TSVANGIRAI, MoU, MUGABE

posted by MrK @ 3:41 AM