President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai are ”poles apart” on key unity government issues, a minister said on Monday after Zimbabwe’s feuding leaders failed to break a 10-day deadlock.
”The principals met. Sadly and tragically the stalemate continues,” said Cabinet minister and Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) spokesperson Nelson Chamisa.
”We are poles apart on fundamental issues.”
The three-hour talks were the first between the long-term rivals since Tsvangirai shelved ties with Mugabe’s ”dishonest and unreliable” camp on October 16, sparking a crisis in the fragile, eight-month partnership.
The yawning gap between the two sides was demonstrated ahead of the encounter, with the Mugabe camp stressing that the talks were a ”regular meeting” and Tsvangirai’s camp insisting they were anything but.
”This is a regular Monday meeting and they will discuss the issues of the GPA [Global Political Agreement],” which underpins the unity government, Mugabe’s spokesperson George Charamba said.
Tsvangirai’s spokesperson James Maridadi said that ”This is not a regular meeting. The meeting will discuss the issue of disengagement and the other outstanding issues related to the Global Political Agreement.”
Chamisa said the party was now waiting for a Southern African Development Community (SADC) meeting in Harare on Thursday to unblock the impasse.
”If that fails … a free and fair election under the supervision of the international community, SADC and the African Union will be the only option. They are facing east and we are facing west,” he said.
Following his party’s cutting of ties, Tsvangirai snubbed last week’s regular meeting with Mugabe and embarked on a regional tour to appeal for Southern African leaders to intervene in the stand-off.
The Movement for Democratic Change leader has said he will only resume cooperation once all outstanding issues are resolved, which include wrangles over key posts and a crackdown on his supporters.
The two leaders agreed to form a unity government in February after disputed polls the previous year, which saw the 85-year-old Mugabe handed victory in a one-man presidential run-off in June.
The pact has managed to arrest Zimbabwe’s economic collapse and seen a relaxing of international ties, amid calls for greater signs of reforms from Mugabe.
On Saturday, the state-run Herald newspaper quoted the veteran Zanu-PF leader, who has ruled Zimbabwe since 1980, as vowing not to give in to the MDC’s demands.
”We will not do that. They can go to any summit, any part of the world to appeal. That will not happen,” Mugabe was quoted as saying.
The compromise government’s work has been plagued by disputes over the appointment of provincial governors, and Mugabe’s unilateral re-appointment of central bank chief Gideon Gono and attorney-general Johannes Tomana.
The decision to suspend ties was sparked by the redetention of ministerial designate Roy Bennett, now out on bail, who faces a terrorism trial.
On Saturday, the MDC, which claims its lawmakers are being targeted, said members of Zanu-PF and security forces opposed to the country’s power-sharing government were behind a police raid on
a party house.
Armed police raided the house, claiming they were searching for weapons.
Police spokesperson Wayne Bvudzijena refused to comment on the raid, which was to be the subject of a meeting between Tsvangirai’s joint home affairs minister Giles Mutseyeka and senior police officials on Monday.
”For now there is no comment on the matter concerning the raids because of security implications,” said Bvudzijena.
The Mozambique-headed SADC body on politics, defence and security will meet in Harare on Thursday to discuss the stand-off which comes just a year after the bloc brokered the signing of the power-sharing accord last September. – AFP
