Tsvangirai gives nod to power sharing talks

Tsvangirai gives nod to power sharing talks

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ZIMBABWE'S main opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai said "the people have suffered enough" as he prepared to sign an agreement with the ruling Zanu PF party on Monday, which will lead to power sharing.

Zanu PF, Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and a rival MDC faction which also has parliamentary representatives have reached consensus on holding substantive crisis talks, a UN representative said Sunday.

The United Nations' special representative to Zimbabwe, Haile Menkerios, said agreement on the draft was "at least a first step".

"There is a draft which we are informed the two negotiating parties have agreed to but the two principals, that is Mugabe and Tsvangirai, would have to sign," he told South African public radio.

"It hasn't been signed yet, but once that is done, once you clear the way or the basis for the talks, then the actual talks begin."

Tsvangirai said he expected the deal to be signed on Monday.

"I think we do have to co-operate with the group and expedite the second phase which is to start substantive negotiations," Tsvangirai said.

"I am advised that the reference group with Mbeki is coming to Harare on Monday to sign the memorandum of understanding and we will obviously sign as well. It is a positive step and we look forward to finding the solution we were looking for. Zimbabweans have suffered enough and it's time for this (the crisis) to come to an end."

The three man group, comprising special representatives from the African Union, the United Nations, and SADC, was agreed upon on Friday at a meeting attended by Mbeki, AU Commisioner Dr Jean Ping, UN envoy Haile Menkerios and Angola's deputy foreign minister George Chikote, as well as the South African facilitators.

Speaking on their behalf, Minister Sydney Mufumadi, described the group as a "support mechanism". He said Mbeki had "invited" the three men "to constitute a reference group which will interact with the mediator on an ongoing basis in order to ensure that we get through the mediator systematic support to continue with the process of executing the task given to him by the SADC".

The memorandum of understanding was to be signed last Wednesday, but Tsvangirai backed out as he pushed for other players to be brought into a mediation process led by Mbeki.

The MDC and Mugabe's Zanu PF began preliminary talks last week aimed at establishing a framework for substantive negotiations.

Mugabe won a one-man presidential run-off last month, widely denounced as a sham after Tsvangirai pulled out of the race due to a wave of deadly attacks on his supporters. - Staff Reporter/AFP
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