THE rival MDC factions in Zimbabwe’s power sharing government were locked in bitter exchanges on Friday as a SADC deadline for the resumption of dialogue over contested issues plaguing the government passed.

Regional leaders meeting in the Mozambican capital Maputo on November 5 urged President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu PF and the two rival MDC factions led by Morgan Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara to “engage in dialogue with immediate effect within fifteen days, and not beyond thirty days”.

The first of those deadlines passed on Friday, with Tsvangirai’s MDC blaming the delays in initiating dialogue on a lack of “sincerity and faithfulness to resolve the outstanding issues” by Zanu PF and the Mutambara-led MDC.

The party accused its ruling coalition rivals of “dragging feet”, adding: “For two weeks, Zimbabweans have waited in vain for the political gridlock to be unlocked.”

In a statement, the Tsvangirai MDC (MDC-T) also launched an unprecedented attack on Mutambara’s MDC (MDC-M) which it contemptuously referred to as a “political outfit”, and “political formation”, without identifying the party by name.

The statement targeted the MDC-M’s negotiators Industry and Commerce Minister Welshman Ncube and Regional Integration and International Cooperation Minister Priscilla Misihairabwi for attack, referring to them as “unelected negotiators who by some chance have found themselves in government … stalling the resolution of Zimbabwe’s political crisis.”

The unsigned statement issued by the MDC-T's information and publicity department said: “Professor Welshman Ncube and Hon Priscillah (sic) Misihairabwi Mushonga have chosen to prioritise flying to world capitals at the expense of resolving critical issues that will deliver real change to the people of Zimbabwe.

“The MDC expects urgent resolution of issues that have stalled the work of the inclusive government. We expect that all parties, especially those that have chosen to ignore the important time-frames, targets and deadlines set by SADC, should urgently meet and clear the deck of the outstanding issues that have poisoned the people’s collective journey of hope spawned by the formation of the inclusive government in February 2009.”

A furious Ncube on Friday night accused MDC-T of a “perennial inclination to indulge in politics of deceit”.

Ncube said he along with Misihairabwi had availed themselves several times since November 5 but it had not been possible to restart the dialogue because of the “unavailability” of the MDC-T’s negotiators – Tendai Biti and Elton Mangoma.

Ncube gave the following statement to New Zimbabwe.com: “The facts are that we left Maputo on Thursday (Nov. 5) night and came to Zimbabwe, while they (MDC-T negotiators) went to South Africa.

“We were in Zimbabwe until Saturday, but they didn’t come back until Sunday. By then, myself and Priscilla were already in the ministerial delegation going to Egypt for the Africa-China summit.

“We were there (Egypt) on Saturday and Sunday, returning home on Monday night.

“We made ourselves available for the dialogue and indicated we were available from Tuesday until Sunday. They (MDC-T) said they were mourning their MP (John Nyamande) and attending funerals, and would not be available until Friday.

“Zanu PF said that they were available on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday but would not be available on the weekend. We cancelled all our other engagements from that period from Tuesday to Sunday, waited for the dialogue, but they were not ready or non-available.

“On Monday this week, I left for Brussels to attend a council of ministers meeting for the Group of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (ACP). It is mandatory for all member countries to be represented at ministerial level, and my attendance was confirmed two months ago.

“Priscilla went to Tunis for a meeting of the African Development Bank where she was required to be present. She returned on Tuesday, and I came back yesterday (Thursday).

“Before coming back, I spoke to MDC-T people and Zanu PF people and indicated that we would be available for the negotiations beginning on Thursday night.

“We suggested to them that in order to expedite the talks, we must all have a retreat out of town and use Friday, Saturday and Sunday to do nothing but dialogue.

“Zanu PF said they were available for the weekend but MDC-T were not. Biti said he was busy with his budget speech and can’t leave Harare. In any case, they (MDC-T) said they would not be available all of this weekend until Monday.

“Right now, we are available, tomorrow we are available, the same for Sunday -- anytime they say they are ready, we are ready.

“Those are the facts. For someone to issue the statement they issued simply demonstrates their perennial inclination to indulge in politics of deceit. The hysteria and arrogance underlying the statement is so despicable that we dismiss it with the maximum possible contempt you can think of.

“You have a bunch of people who have behaved for a long time like spoilt brats and think the whole world must stand and salute them every time they utter their nonsense. We will not worship them now, tomorrow or ever and they can go to hell a 1000 times.”

Tsvangirai’s MDC wants to be given its allocation of provincial governors and ambassadors. The party also says it wants President Robert Mugabe to annul his unilateral appointment of Attorney General Johannes Tomana and Reserve Bank governor Gideon Gono, which he has already refused to do.

South African President Jacob Zuma, urged by SADC to “remain seized with the developments on the implementation of the GPA [Global Political Agreement]” is set to speak to the Zimbabwe leaders next week – either by phone or by sending an envoy to Zimbabwe, sources said.