Zimbabwe’s rival leaders faced fresh pressure on Thursday to mend their differences and push toward new elections, as South African President Jacob Zuma led talks on the fragile unity government.
Zimbabwe’s ageing President Robert Mugabe, in power since independence from Britain in 1980, reluctantly formed a unity government one year ago with Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, the former opposition leader.
The power-sharing pact has curbed deadly political violence that erupted around disputed 2008 presidential elections, while halting Zimbabwe’s decade-long economic collapse.
But the rivals remain sharply divided on a slate of key appointments, Western sanctions on Mugabe’s inner circle, and the treason trial of a top Tsvangirai ally.
Amid the feuding, work has stalled on drafting a new constitution, which is required under the power-sharing pact to pave the way to fresh elections envisioned by February 2011.
Zuma’s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, told Agence France-Presse that one-on-one talks with Mugabe and Tsvangirai on Wednesday were “quite encouraging, in the sense that President Zuma got an impression that parties were as keen as we are to move things forward”.
“There was commitment all round to work harder in finding a lasting solution,” Magwenya said.
Zuma, the regional mediator on Zimbabwe, is now set to hold round-table talks with the rival leaders on Thursday in a bid to pressure them to resolve their differences.
The South African leader on Wednesday also met with Attorney General Johannes Tomana and central bank Governor Gideon Gono, whose appointments are contested by Tsvangirai.
‘No major changes should be expected’
Zuma met late on Wednesday with Roy Bennett, the treasurer of Tsvangirai’s party, who is on trial for treason over a plot against Mugabe that was already dismissed by the courts in an earlier case.
“The idea behind those meetings, is that President Zuma’s intention was to meet a wide range of key role-players to create common understanding on how to take matters forward,” Magwenya said.
A South African diplomat close to the talks said that Zuma had met with Bennett, Gono and Tomana because Pretoria is keen to see their issues resolved.
“We want a solution to these negotiations for the good of Zimbabwe, and the region,” the diplomat said.
But the diplomat said broader progress has not been made in ensuring that the political environment is conducive for new polls.
“Although there are concerns that Zimbabwe must hold elections, the situation on the ground must change,” the diplomat said.
“Zimbabwe cannot hold elections for the sake of elections, yet the conditions have not changed from the ones we witnessed in June 2008,” when the country was engulfed in political violence.
The power-sharing deal called for the creation of committees to oversee reforms in media freedom, human rights and the electoral process.
Those committees were only named in December, and have yet to begin their work in earnest.
The government-run Herald newspaper, a mouthpiece for Mugabe’s faction in the government, held out little prospect for much progress in the latest talks.
“No major changes should be expected from current deliberations,” the paper said.
Mugabe insists that a Western travel ban and asset freeze on him and about 200 of his family and allies should be lifted before he makes further concessions.
Both the United States and the European Union this year extended their sanctions for another 12 months, insisting that Mugabe implement reforms before the restrictions are lifted. — Sapa-AFP