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Posted to the web: 30/09/2008 17:38:42
ZIMBABWEAN President Robert Mugabe and opposition MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai met Tuesday but failed to agree on a share-out of ministries in a power-sharing government, the opposition said.

MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa told AFP that the deadlock had been referred back to former South African president Thabo Mbeki who mediated the agreement signed earlier this month.

"As MDC, we refuse to be junior partners in the inclusive government," Chamisa said. "Any power-sharing is supposed to be a partnership of equals. As a result of this there has been a deadlock. The matter has been referred to the mediator."

Arthur Mutambara, the leader of a faction of the MDC and a signatory to the power sharing agreement did not attend the meeting after he was caught up in floods and his flight was cancelled in China, a party official said.

He was in China for the World Young Leaders Forum and should have flown to Zimbabwe on Sunday.

The standoff follows Mugabe's claim on Monday that a new government would be formed by the end of the week.

"Unfortunately, there has not been any movement on the part of Zanu PF who are insisting on taking all the powerful ministries against the spirit of a power-sharing agreement," said Chamisa.

A source close to the negotiations said the standoff was over the local government, home affairs, foreign affairs and finance ministries.

"We are hoping that SADC (Southern African Development Community) who are the guarantors of this deal and the AU (African Union) will help us resolve this matter," said Chamisa.

The situation in the country was "dire", he said.

On Monday, Mugabe said four ministries remained to be allocated and denied there was a deadlock.

"We will be setting up government by the end of the week," Mugabe said on his return from the United Nations general assembly meeting in New York.

"We never said there was a deadlock."

Mugabe, Tsvangirai and Mutambara agreed on September 15 to a landmark power-sharing agreement.

Under the agreement, Mugabe will remain as head of state after nearly three decades in power while Tsvangirai is to take up a new post of prime minister.

The deal brokered by Mbeki was heralded as a historic initiative to resolve Zimbabwe's political deadlock and economic melt-down.

Once one of Africa's most prosperous countries, Zimbabwe now suffers the world's highest rate of inflation, last estimated at 11.2 million percent, leaving 80 percent of the population living in poverty. - AFP
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