Maravi

(TALKZIMBABWE) Sadc leaders ratchet up pressure on Tsvangirai

Sadc leaders ratchet up pressure on Tsvangirai
Floyd Nkomo
Sat, 25 Oct 2008 03:34:00 +0000

THE Southern African Development Community has increased pressure on the Movement for Democratic Change party leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, to engage in talks with President Mugabe in finding a solution to the current political and economic crisis in the country.

Tanzania has added its voice in calling for the MDC leader not to boycott another Sadc Organ for Defence and Security Troika summit scheduled for Monday in Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare.

Tsvangirai snubbed a Sadc Troika summit held in Swaziland and attended by President Mugabe and four other regional leaders last Monday in protest that he was only given emergency travel documents at the last minute, although he spent the whole of this year travelling on emergency documents.

On Thursday, the new President of South Africa and the current Sadc Chairperson, Kgalema Motlanthe urged Tsvangirai not to snub Monday's Troika summit saying it was imperative that dialogue be opened between President Mugabe and Tsvangirai - the principals to the power-sharing talks.

The Tanzanian Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Adadi Mohamed Rajabu said Zimbabwe’s three major political parties should reach an agreement to end the current economic and political challenges and also urged Tsvangirai to attend the Troika summit.

Ambassador Rajabu, appointed by Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete in 2006, said the problems in Zimbabwe affected all countries in the region and the principals to the power-sharing negotiations should come up with a solution to end the crisis. He said that the region can only facilitate the process of power-sharing but the final decision would be made by the people of Zimbabwe.

Echoing President Motlanthe’s call earlier this week, Rajabu said the only way to break the impasse was not for the MDC party to boycott elections, but to engage with Zanu PF until a peaceful resolution was obtained in the country.

The ambassador spoke to ZBC on the sidelines of a training session where he was giving a lecture at Staff College – a Zimbabwe military training college – on geo-politics of the Great Lakes Region.

Ambassador Rajabu talked about the devastating effects of war, and said that states should not interfere in the internal affairs of other nations as this would disrupt peace and development. He criticised nations that interfere in the affairs of other countries only to exploit the natural resources of those countries.

African National Congress (ANC) leader Jacob Zuma this week also urged Zimbabwe’s politicians to work harder to end an impasse over the distribution of cabinet posts.

Speaking after a meeting with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice at the state department on Wednesday Zuma said: “We share the same views that a quicker solution to Zimbabwe is desirable for the sake of the Zimbabwean people and their country,” said Zuma.

“We also agreed that Zimbabwean leaders should be urged to complete the package which is already on the table so that it is implemented for the sake of the Zimbabwean people,” he said.

Meanwhile, the MDC party, which had indicated that it would boycott a Troika summit scheduled for Monday in Harare, has made a U-turn after all Sadc leaders expressed their concerns about Tsvangirai’s non-attendance.

The MDC party spokesman, Nelson Chamisa who had indicated on Monday that Tsvangirai would boycott the Troika summit changed his tone on Friday and said their party’s leader would attend the summit and use it as an opportunity to highlight the MDC’s concerns about the current power-sharing arrangement.

Labels: MORGAN TSVANGIRAI, NATIONAL UNITY GOVERNMENT

posted by MrK @ 7:12 AM