Zimbabwe

Talks collapse, seventh session of talks scheduled

Article published on the 2009-01-21 Latest update 2009-01-21 13:20 TU

Zimbabwe's opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai
(Credit: Reuters)

Mugabe emerged after the two sides met on Monday for 12 hours of talks in Harare, saying that he had accepted the Southern African Development Community (SADC) proposal. Tsvangirai expressed reservations but said he was "committed to the power-sharing government".

"The MDC doesn't want to get into a government in which it's going to be subordinate to [Mugabe's] Zanu-PF," said Zimbabwe-based correspondent Ryan Truscott.

"On the other hand, President Mugabe and [South African] President Kgalema Motlanthe, who is the chairman of Sadc, insists the MDC should first get into government and then re-negotiate this position," said Truscott.

"That's something the MDC obviously doesn't want to do, because it feels it might be then caught in a situation in which it is trapped as a junior partner to Zanu-PF," he added.

The main issue has been the fair distribution of portfolios in the government. Mugabe has repeatedly demostrated that he will give the key positions, such as security portfolios, governorships, and diplomatic appointments to his colleagues in his Zanu-PF party.

Nelson Chamisa, an MDC spokesman, inisists that his party has already given up a lot of demands in order to "come to the table", but even last weekend he had hopes that some sort of power-sharing government would come to fruition after the talks.

"Allocation of the key posts remains our wish and we hope that once that is done, then the inclusive government has to become a reality," he told RFI on the eve of last Monday's talks.

Sadc is seen by many as deferring to Mugabe, according to Truscott. "He does have the reputation as being [...] the most senior president in the region and the one with the highest credentials in terms of the fight against the white minority rule," he said, "which makes it difficult for some Sadc members to confront him directly".

Truscott also reported Zanu-PF allegations that Tsvangirai is a puppet of the West, saying that it was a line that some regional leaders agree with.

Chamisa said that if Mugabe kept total control then it would be the "death of the inclusive government and the power-sharing agreement "

The 15-nation Sadc has agreed to hold a new summit next Monday, 26 January, in a new bid to break the stalemate.