Tsvangirai performs U-turn on SADC summit

U-TURN: Morgan Tsvangirai

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By Lebo Nkatazo
Posted to the web: 24/10/2008 12:32:26
MORGAN Tsvangirai will attend Monday’s SADC summit in Harare after all.

On Monday this week, Tsvangirai refused to go to Swaziland for a meeting of SADC’s Troika – the regional trade bloc’s organ on politics, defence and security -- in protest that the government had not renewed his passport, and had in fact given him an emergency travel document.

A day later, Nelson Chamisa, the chief spokesman for Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) issued an ultimatum to President Robert Mugabe, declaring Tsvangirai would not attend Monday’s summit without his passport.

Chamisa said: “While the MDC thanks the SADC and the African Union for continuing to focus on the Zimbabwe crisis and for rescheduling their meeting from yesterday (Monday) in Swaziland to next week in Harare, this may be in vain if Zanu PF continues to display such a blatant lack of trust.

“The failure to issue a new passport to President Tsvangirai prior to next week's meeting will be taken as an indication that Zanu PF is not willing to proceed in the spirit of the agreement and therefore, the attendance of President Tsvangirai at next week's meeting will serve only to present a false impression of the relationship between Zanu PF and the two MDCs.

"Meaningful negotiations cannot proceed while Zanu PF continues to hold Mr Tsvangirai hostage and prisoner in his own country. President Tsvangirai, like any other Zimbabwean, is a prisoner in his own country. As the saying goes, ‘Prisoners don't negotiate’.”

But with southern African leaders clearly intent on pushing on with the summit aimed at saving a stalled power-sharing agreement between Mugabe’s Zanu PF party and his two MDC rivals, Tsvangirai’s MDC somersaulted from its earlier position on Friday. This, even as Chamisa confirmed Tsvangirai had still not been issued a passport.

"We are not boycotting Monday's meeting," Chamisa said. "It is our hope that this meeting will bring closure and finality to this issue of power sharing and enable Zimbabwe to respond to the dire situation which the people are facing.”

Mugabe, Tsvangirai and his MDC rival Arthur Mutambara on September 15 agreed on the outlines of a power-sharing accord that would keep 84-year-old Mugabe as president; make Tsvangirai the prime minister and Mutambara his deputy.

But negotiations over who is to control “key” ministries have stalled, with the MDC accusing Mugabe's party of insincerity in the talks. Zanu PF in turn has accused Tsvangirai of trying to frustrate the process at the bidding of western countries, particularly the United States.

Chamisa said the opposition hopes the summit will be able to break through the deadlock.

"Monday's platform gives us a special window of opportunity to state our compelling case for the equitable distribution of key ministries under the power sharing agreement," he said.
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