Maravi

(TALKZIMBABWE) Zanu PF and MDC set to agree draft for talks

Zanu PF and MDC set to agree draft for talks
AFP Reporter
Sun, 20 Jul 2008 23:24:00 +0000

ZIMBABWEAN President Robert Mugabe's party and the opposition have agreed in principle on landmark talks to end the protracted political crisis, a UN official said Sunday, with a pact expected to be signed imminently.

The United Nations' special representative to Zimbabwe, Haile Menkerios said the draft on the negotiating framework had been agreed to by President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, which was "at least a first step."

Although parties involved in the talks expressed hope of an agreement being signed Monday, Tsvangirai's personal spokesman and a spokesman for mediator, South African President Thabo Mbeki, did not confirm this.

But a spokesman for African Union commission chairman Jean Ping, also in Zimbabwe meeting with the different parties, said Tsvangirai had given an assurance that the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) would sign the agreement.

"He (Ping) is hopeful that a memorandum of understanding, which will outline the talks agenda and ground rules, will be signed tomorrow (Monday) with the MDC being part of it. Tsvangirai has given assurance of this," said Elghassim Wane.

Menkerios said the draft, once signed, would clear the way for actual talks on the future of the crisis-ridden country to take place.

"There is a draft which we are informed the two negotiating parties have agreed to but the two principals, that is Mr Mugabe and Mr Tsvangirai, would have to sign," he told South African public radio.

Mugabe won a one-man presidential run-off last month, widely denounced as a sham after Tsvangirai pulled out of the race due to a wave of deadly attacks on his supporters.

Tsvangirai has rejected the idea of a national unity government, saying instead he wanted a transitional administration that would pave the way for fresh elections.

The 84-year-old Mugabe, who has ruled the former British colony since independence in 1980, has for his part insisted that the MDC has to acknowledge his victory in the run-off if there is to be any kind of power-sharing deal.

However, sources within the ruling Zanu PF and opposition MDC say the agreement could be signed in the next few days.

"We expect that there will be movement on the talks either Monday and at the latest Tuesday," a government source close to the talks told AFP.

A senior MDC official said on Sunday: "We are expecting that this thing will be signed tomorrow."

The movement towards fully-fledged negotiations came after a series of meetings involving rival parties, Mbeki, Menkerios and Ping.

Menkerios has been in Harare since Friday, and held a meeting with Ping and Mbeki, while Ping met with Mugabe, Tsvangirai and a separate MDC faction on Saturday, said AU commisison spokesman Wane.

The memorandum of understanding was to be signed last Wednesday, but Tsvangirai backed out as he pushed for other players to be brought into a mediation process led by Mbeki.

The opposition leader has also said he will only take part in substantive talks once some 1,500 political prisoners are released and violence against his supporters ceases.

His spokesman George Sibotshiwe told AFP Tsvangirai was waiting to hear from Mbeki as to when the signing would take place.

He said they had relayed their concerns, adding: "We are waiting to hear from the facilitator ... when it will be signed."

While there where conflicting reports from Zanu PF and the MDC whether Mbeki would fly in to Harare Monday for the signing, the mediator's spokesman Mukoni Ratshitanga said he "was not aware" of this.

The MDC and Mugabe's ZANU-PF began preliminary talks last week aimed at establishing a framework for substantive negotiations.

Labels: MDC, MoU, ZANU-PF

posted by MrK @ 2:31 AM