PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe's spokesman George Charamba has raised tensions further in the unity government after appearing to declare he will not retract controversial comments questioning the validity of a Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement signed with South Korea by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.

In a newspaper column published under a pseudonym in the state-run Herald newspaper last Saturday, Charamba said Tsvangirai had ignored advice from foreign ministry officials warning that signing the BIPPA breached government procedures.

And referring to himself in the third person, Charamba said: "This week saw a loud conflict between the Prime Minister and President Mugabe’s spokesman, George Charamba. The conflict is over the Prime Minister’s recent trip to South Korea, during which he claimed to have signed a BIPPA with the host country.

"The spokesperson says no, nothing of that sort happened. The Prime Minister says no, the spokesperson is undermining his Office, in the process threatening disciplinary action. Charamba will not retract, and dares the Prime Minister."

Tsvangirai has said he wants Charamba disciplined after Mugabe's wordsmith called the agreement with South Korea “null and void” last week.

“It is absurd, to say the least,” Charamba told state media when asked about the agreement. “As far as I know, and I have checked, the President never made any such delegation so in effect no BIPPA was signed in Korea.”

In his column last Saturday, published under the pseudonym Nathaniel Manheru, Charamba said only the Minister of Economic Planning and Investment Promotion Elton Mangoma could have been given signing powers by President Mugabe “who wields them by dint of the Constitution”.

“No minister wields such powers inherently. They devolve from the President who remains solely responsible for their use. In terms of our laws, the Prime Minister has no such powers,” Charamba wrote.

The latest incident will serve to highlight growing tensions in the year-old unity government. Tsvangirai’s supporters say Mugabe still wields all power, and routinely undermines Tsvangirai -- in the process slowing down economic and political reforms.

[Read the Nathaniel Manheru Column]