Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe’s spokesperson said on Thursday that reports of a deal being reached in power-sharing talks on the country’s crisis were ”utter nonsense”, while adding negotiations were going well.
”All this talk about an agreement that has supposed to have been reached, which is being reported, is utter nonsense,” George Charamba said. ”The talks are going on well, and the people of Zimbabwe shall be informed in due course once an agreement has been reached.”
The South African government also said on Thursday the power-sharing talks were ”progressing extremely well”. President Thabo Mbeki has been mediating the negotiations.
South African government spokesperson Themba Maseko refused to comment further.
South Africa’s Star newspaper reported on Wednesday that Mugabe would have amnesty from prosecution and a ceremonial role in government under what it called a draft settlement to resolve the crisis.
Opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) spokesperson Morgan Tsvangirai would run Zimbabwe as executive prime minister under the plan, the Star reported, saying it had obtained a copy of the draft.
The paper also reported that Mugabe, Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara, leader of a smaller faction of the MDC, would hold a meeting in Harare later on Thursday.
Mutambara spokesperson Edwin Mushoriwa said the three would meet soon, but likely not on Thursday.
Charamba said he was not aware of a meeting on Thursday. He also quoted Mugabe as telling him: ”This morning I was asking my staff where is this Morgan Tsvangirai I am supposed to be meeting.”
Zimbabwe’s political crisis intensified after Mugabe’s victory in a June 27 presidential run-off election widely condemned as a farce.
Tsvangirai boycotted the run-off after finishing ahead of Mugabe in the March first round, citing violence against his supporters that had killed dozens and injured thousands. — Sapa-AFP